Mass protests across Middle East over death of hundreds at al-Ahli Baptist hospital

Mass protests over the deadly explosion at Gaza’s al-Ahli Baptist hospital took place across the Middle East on Wednesday. A “day of rage”, called for by Hizbullah, brought thousands into the streets after Palestinian officials said at least 471 people were killed by a strike on the 141-year-old Anglican hospital.

Palestinian officials said Tuesday’s explosion was caused by an Israeli air strike. Israel said it was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied blame.

Palestinians filled the streets of Ramallah chanting the 2011 Arab Spring slogan, “Ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-iẓām!” (The people want to bring down the regime.) The West Bank shuttered in a general strike as 65 Palestinians from Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus and Jerusalem were detained in Israeli army raids.

Solidarity demonstrations were held by the Syrian Union of Peasants in Tartous, Hama, Homs, Deir Ezzor, Hasaka and Latakia. Turkish security forces were deployed at Istanbul’s Israeli consulate. In Lebanon a full day of scheduled protests took place at various locations, including the headquarters of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

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After the news of the explosion broke on Tuesday night, spontaneous demonstrations erupted in Istanbul, Tunis, Kuwait City, Cairo, Tripoli, Baghdad, Idlib in Syria, Taiz in Yemen and Rabat in Morocco. In Iran there were protests in Tehran, Mashad and Isfahan. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian security forces fired tear gas and live bullets at protesters. Police in Amman prevented an attack on the Israeli embassy by Jordanians demanding expulsion of the ambassador. There were rallies at the US and French embassies in Lebanon.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi cancelled Wednesday’s meeting with US president Joe Biden in Amman where they were to discuss opening humanitarian corridors into Gaza and the release of 199 Israeli captives held by Hamas.

Mr Abbas said Israel has crossed “all red lines” and called the strike a “hideous war massacre.” King Abdullah said: “The whole region is on the brink. This new cycle of violence is leading us towards the abyss.” Mr Sisi condemned what he called Israel’s “deliberate” bombing [of the hospital] “a clear violation of international law”.

While regional mosques were muzzled by governments, influential Sunni Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo ignored the censors and urged the global Muslim community to radically reconsider its dependence on the “arrogant European-American West”.

At UN headquarters in New York, the 22 Arab members demanded an immediate ceasefire. Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour said they were “outraged by this massacre” and urged immediate delivery of humanitarian aid.

The three Arab governments which have normalised ties with Israel heavily criticised the bombing. The foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates called for a prompt cessation of hostilities. Bahrain’s foreign ministry “expressed [the kingdom’s] condemnation and strong denunciation of the Israeli bombing”. Morocco blamed Israel for the strike.

The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the “heinous crime committed by Israeli forces when they struck al-Ahli hospital”, and castigated “the West for its double standards and selectivity in applying international humanitarian law when it comes to Israel’s criminal practices”. It demanded Israel “be held fully responsible for the continued violation of all international laws and norms”.

Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for an “immediate and urgent resolution” from the UN Security Council to end Israeli “aggression”.

Iran’s foreign ministry blamed Israel for killing and injuring hundreds of “unarmed and defenceless people”.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “I call on all humanity to take action to stop Israel’s unprecedented brutality in Gaza.”