Israel’s attack on the European Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis on Tuesday, May 13th, is the second one on a hospital within 24 hours.
Earlier, an Israeli attack on the Nasser Medical centre in Khan Younis in Gaza had killed journalist Hassan Aslih, who was undergoing treatment for his wounds from a previous Israeli attack in April that killed three other journalists.
Israel’s attack on the European Hospital has killed and wounded dozens. However, the biggest challenge is to trace those who are missing, as reports from Khan Younis say that many victims may be buried in sand and soil due to the intensity of the attack.
Initial estimates by Gaza’s Ministry of Health show that Israel’s latest attack on the courtyard of the European Hospital has killed six and wounded over 40.
However, the number of those killed may rise as, due to a lack of medical facilities in the besieged Gaza, the injured have been taken to the Nasser Medical centre that has opened its emergency services but had been bombed earlier and is working without proper medicines and facilities.
This attack has further infuriated the Palestinians as well as the global opponents of Zionism. It’s not the first time that Israel has attacked a hospital; rather, some of the goriest atrocities during the 19-month-long aggression have been committed by attacking hospitals.
Amid this, the Palestinian resistance organisation Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has strongly condemned Israel’s attack on the European Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis.
In a statement issued on Tuesday late evening, the organisation said, “The heinous crime committed by the occupation army today by deliberately bombing the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, which resulted in dozens of martyrs, wounded, and missing persons, constitutes a fully-fledged and documented war crime. It adds to a long record of systematic targeting of hospitals, medical facilities, and shelters.”
The left-wing resistance organisation called the attack a part of the Israeli template and alleged full American support behind these acts.
“This massacre is part of the Zionist policy of genocide, which seeks to deepen the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, with full American support, which provides political and military protection for the occupation and obstructs any international efforts to hold it accountable,” the PFLP alleged.
The PFLP also questioned the intention behind Benjamin Netanyahu’s attacks on the hospitals as they coincide with the earlier truce agreed upon between Palestinian resistance Hamas and the US, leading to the release of American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who was taken as a prisoner following the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7th 2023.
The Israeli side was supposed to refrain from attacking Gaza. However, despite Hamas releasing Mr Alexander, Mr Netanyahu’s government has continued its attacks on Gaza.
Highlighting Israel’s duplicity, exhibited by its attack on the European Hospital, the PFLP said, “The timing of the bombing, and the comprehensive escalation that preceded it, constitute a clear attempt by war criminal Netanyahu and his fascist government to thwart any efforts to reach a cessation of aggression.”
The Marxist-Leninist organisation. Also questioned the international silence on the blatant violations of human rights and dignity in Gaza.
“The complicit international silence regarding these crimes gives the occupation a mandate to continue the massacres and exposes the falsity of human values. We call for immediate global action to stop the genocide against our people, who are facing death by bombing, starvation, and under the rubble,” the PFLP said in the statement.
“This crime is no longer acceptable to remain silent about,” the PFLP added.
Israel’s attack on the European Hospital on Tuesday, after the attack on Nasser hospital, shows that it’s unlikely that Mr Netanyahu has any agenda to de-escalate.
With US President Donald Trump expressing his desire to occupy Gaza and turn it into a real estate project, it’s less likely that Mr Netanyahu would stop bombing Gaza anytime soon.
Thus, soon after Israel’s attack on the European Hospital, there were attacks on the Jabalia Camp, which killed 36 civilians, including children. The Meqbel and Khala families have been the worst affected in Jabalia Camp.
Israeli attacks also killed all members of the Abu Amuna home in Khan Younis on Tuesday.
By dropping bombs on Gaza, Mr Netanyahu also attempts to protect his political career and save himself from anti-corruption investigations. This shows no end to the ongoing violence in Gaza, unless there is an enforced ceasefire.
East Post is an independent geopolitical analysis portal covering South Asia and global power dynamics for international audiences. Views expressed are analytical and do not constitute endorsement of any state or non-state actor.
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