By Anadolu Agency
October 18, 2023 7:54 amWARSAW
Reacting to Tuesday’s bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of people, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland called for an investigation and respect for international law.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Wednesday called attacks on civilians “reprehensible.”
International humanitarian law must be respected in all circumstances and violations must be investigated, he said on X.
“Striking hospitals and innocent civilians is deplorable and unacceptable. They are protected under international humanitarian law,” said Edgars Rinkevics, president of the Baltic state of Estonia, also offering condolences to the relatives of the victims.
Krisjanis Karins, the foreign minister of neighboring Latvia, said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragic news, highlighting that an investigation must be done and the perpetrators have to be held accountable.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen also expressed sorrow following the deadly attack, adding: “The loss of hundreds of civilian lives adds to the horror and suffering we have witnessed in the past days in the Middle East.”
She also called for an investigation.
“I am devastated by the strike against the Al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza & the heartbreaking loss of lives. Innocent civilian lives must be protected,” said Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
In response to a question from Anadolu, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, deputy foreign minister of Poland, said that there can be no justification for the bombing of the hospital or the death of hundreds of innocent civilians.
More than 500 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told Anadolu.
Footage on social media showed corpses scattered across the hospital grounds.
Thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, were at the hospital when the building came under bombardment, according to an Anadolu reporter
The airstrike came on day 12 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, residences, and houses of worship – violates international law and may constitute war crimes.
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