Condemning the attack on an ambulance convoy outside a hospital in Gaza City, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said ‘I am horrified by it’ and also asserted that ‘all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.’
Taking to X, Guterres said, “I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital. Now, for nearly one month, civilians in Gaza, including children & women, have been besieged, denied aid, killed & bombed out of their homes. This must stop.”
He added, I do not forget the terror attacks committed in Israel by Hamas and the killing, maiming and abductions, including of women and children.
“All hostages held in Gaza must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
Israeli strike at Gaza shelter killed 15
An Israeli strike on a Gaza ambulance convoy has killed 15 people, Palestinian medics said Saturday, spurring concerns for health workers’ safety as Israel accused Hamas of using the vehicles to transport fighters.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said in a statement one of its ambulances had been struck “by a missile fired by the Israeli forces”, about two metres (6.5 feet) from the entrance to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
The strike on Friday killed 15 people and wounded 60 others, it said, mirroring figures released earlier by the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel’s military said it had carried out the air strike on an ambulance “used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone,” killing a number of Hamas operatives. Hamas denied that its fighters had been inside the vehicles, which it said were hit by Israeli forces while transporting wounded people from Gaza City towards the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
Since a shock Hamas attack on October 7, which Israeli officials say has killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israel has bombarded the besieged Gaza Strip, where some hospitals have been damaged and faced severe shortages of fuel and supplies.
More than 9,200 people have been killed so far in Gaza by the Israeli military campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
(With agency inputs)
Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Updated: 04 Nov 2023, 09:05 PM IST
