Jordan condemns Israeli attacks on 3 hospitals in Gaza

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) — Jordan’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned on Saturday Israeli attacks on three hospitals in Gaza, calling the actions a "blatant violation" of both international and humanitarian law.

In a statement, the ministry expressed outrage over strikes targeting the Indonesian Hospital, Al-Awda Hospital, and Al-Shifa Medical Complex, which serve civilians in Gaza.

"This is a flagrant violation of international law, particularly the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Times of War," the ministry said.

It also expressed “rejection of Israel’s systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including essential medical facilities.”

Jordan reiterated its demand for the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to take “immediate action to halt Israel’s aggression and ensure protection for the Palestinian population.”

Earlier, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that Israel had intensified attacks on health care in northern Gaza in apparent bid to disable vital services.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has killed more than 42,500 people in Gaza since a cross-border incursion by resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. It killed the group's leader, Yahya Sinwar, earlier this week. Sinwar had taken charge after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Iran's capital Tehran.

The Israeli brutal offensive has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi