Cries of Outrage Echo Across Middle East and North Africa as Protesters Condemn Deadly Hospital Strike in Gaza

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across the Middle East and North Africa to protest against a strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip that left nearly 500 people dead, according to Palestinian officials. Demonstrators in countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, and the occupied West Bank expressed their solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and denounced the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital. Hamas, the governing group in Gaza, has accused Israel of carrying out the strike, while Israel denies responsibility. They claim that a misdirected rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad was to blame, an accusation rejected by the group.

Protesters rallied outside the US and Israeli embassies in Amman, Jordan, where Islamic parties called for a general strike, and the government declared three days of mourning. In Beirut, Lebanon, protests turned violent as demonstrators clashed with security forces near the US embassy. In Tunis, demonstrators gathered at the French embassy, denouncing the French and Americans as allies of the Zionists. In Egypt, students at universities in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities called for an end to Israel's airstrikes and chanted slogans in support of Al-Aqsa. In Ramallah, solidarity protests took place in support of the people of Gaza, who have been experiencing intense bombardment amid recent attacks by Hamas inside Israel.

The protests came in the wake of clashes between Palestinian security forces and protesters the previous night. Overnight, demonstrations also took place in Turkey, Morocco, Libya, and Iran. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, all of which established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, condemned the hospital strike and held Israel responsible for the attack. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi condemned the bombing as a clear violation of international law. Saudi Arabia, which paused talks on potential ties with Israel due to the escalating violence, called the strike a heinous crime committed by Israeli forces.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation labeled it a war crime, a crime against humanity, and organized state terrorism. Jordan held Israel responsible for the incident, while Qatar, with close ties to Hamas, denounced the massacre. The Arab League called for an immediate end to the tragedy, questioning the mind behind intentionally targeting a hospital and its defenseless inhabitants. Hamas called for attacks against Israeli forces in response to the hospital strike and called for protests across the region demanding the expulsion of Israeli ambassadors.

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement declared a day of rage against Israel, leading to clashes with security forces at the US and French embassies. More protests are planned for Wednesday, with Lebanon and other Arab states declaring a day of national mourning. In Tunisia, thousands gathered outside the French embassy, demanding the expulsion of the French and US ambassadors over their governments' support for Israel. Iraq called for urgent action from the UN Security Council to halt Israel's onslaught, and Algeria condemned the strike as a barbaric act. Libya's internationally recognized government in Tripoli called it a despicable crime.