North Korea says Israeli bombing of Gaza hospital 'great tragedy'

By Anadolu staff

North Korea accused Israel on Thursday of bombing a hospital in the Gaza Strip and called it a "great tragedy," according to its Foreign Ministry.

It said bombing a hospital is an "unimaginable hideous war crime and unethical crime."

"Israel bombed a public health establishment which is to be protected on a top priority in peacetime or wartime under international law," it said in a statement published by state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Pyongyang accused the US and said Israel of committing criminal acts under the "undisguised patronage of the U.S."

"The U.S. delivered huge amounts of munitions to Israel and dispatched two carrier strike groups to the waters off the Middle East, thus giving Israel a green light to massacre Palestinians without any worries," it said.

It also criticized Washington for calling the Israeli bombing of the hospital an explosion, committed by other forces rather than Israel.

"This shows that the U.S. is an accomplice who connived at and fostered Israel's genocide," it said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said nearly 500 victims were killed in an Israeli airstrike at the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital earlier this month.

Israel, however, said the blast was caused by a misfired rocket that came from another resistance group, Islamic Jihad – which has denied responsibility.

The conflict in Gaza began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack on Oct. 7 that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.

The resistance group said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Around 8,500 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 7,028 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine and fuel, and aid convoys allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid