By Adem Balta
ANKARA (AA) – The Turkish parliament late Tuesday released a joint statement condemning “in the strongest possible terms” Israel’s airstrike on a hospital in Gaza, reportedly killing hundreds.
"We are deeply saddened that hundreds of Palestinians have lost their lives and many more have been injured" by Israel's airstrike on Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, said the statement, signed by all the political parties with groups in parliament.
“We condemn these attacks, which are crimes against humanity, in the strongest possible terms,” it said, stressing that it is closely following developments in Palestine and Israel.
“We deplore Israel's increasing and continuing attacks against the people of Gaza in violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” the statement emphasized. “We wish grace to our Palestinian brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the attacks and urgent healing to the wounded.”
“As all party groups and deputies of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, we invite world parliaments, the international community, and organizations to take a stance and initiative to stop these atrocities,” it added.
More than 500 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, said the Gaza Health Ministry.
The airstrike came on day 11 in the current conflict, with a growing international chorus of non-governmental groups and world leaders saying the Israeli bombing campaign on the besieged Gaza Strip – including healthcare facilities, homes, and houses of worship – violates international law and may constitute a war crime.
Palestinian group Hamas called the targeting of the hospital an act of "genocide."
-Siege, bombing campaign
Eleven days into the conflict with Palestinian group Hamas, Israel's bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip continued, with over one million people displaced – almost half of Gaza's total population, according to the UN agency for Palestinain refugees or UNRWA.
The fighting began on Oct. 7 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 increased violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.
At least 3,061 Palestinians have been killed and 13,750 others have been injured in the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry in Gaza said.
More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the armed conflict.
*Writing by Merve Berker