Palestinian Ambassador to UN condemns Israeli airstrike on Gaza hospital

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour released a statement Tuesday condemning an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, accusing the UN Security Council of failing to "shoulder responsibility" for stopping the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

"We condemn this action in the strongest possible terms, and we hold Israel responsible for this massacre," Mansour said, adding that those responsible for this crime should face accountability.

"We, as an Arab group, demand immediately a cease-fire because the continuation of the war means killing more Palestinians every moment," he added.

"Had the Security Council shouldered its responsibility yesterday and stopped the fighting, stopped the war, that aggression, the crime against our people yesterday, then we would have been able to have those 500 killed still alive and with us," he added.​​​​​​​

More than 500 people were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital late Tuesday, Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra told Anadolu.

Footage on social media showed bodies scattered across the hospital grounds.

The airstrike came on the 11th day of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, with a growing international chorus of non-governmental groups and world leaders saying the Israeli bombing campaign on the besieged enclave -- including healthcare facilities, homes and houses of worship -- violates international law and may constitute war crimes.