Egypt declares 3 days of national mourning for Gaza hospital victims

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ANKARA (AA) - Egypt on Wednesday declared three days of national mourning for the victims of an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza.

At least 471 Palestinians were killed and 342 others injured, including 28 in serious condition, in the attack that targeted Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza Tuesday evening, according to the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave.

Israel has denied responsibility for the strike.

A statement by the presidency said Egypt “mourns the civilian victims who fell in the criminal targeting of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip and all the martyrs of the Palestinian people.”

Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyib launched an initiative to supply field hospitals in Gaza with beds.

Egypt’s Education Minister Reda Hegazi also ordered schools nationwide to observe a minute of silence for the Palestinian victims of the Israeli assault in Gaza.

Several protests were reported for a second consecutive day in several Egyptian provinces on Wednesday in a show of support for Gaza, according to local media.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rejected the displacement of Gazans to the Sinai Peninsula amid the ongoing Israeli attacks in the territory.

“What is happening in Gaza right now is not just a matter of taking military action against Hamas but an attempt to push civilian residents to seek refuge and migrate to Egypt,” al-Sisi said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Cairo.

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”

At least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.