Pres. Solih condemns Israel's attack on Al-Ahli Hospital

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has strongly condemned Israel’s attack on Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza.

According to Reuters, an Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed hundreds of people at a hospital in the Palestinian enclave. Reuters cited the Palestinian Authority's health minister having revealed that the strike killed hundreds of people and occurred during Israel's intense 11-day bombing campaign in Gaza. The minister is to have accused Israel of "a massacre" at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital.

However, Israel has claimed that a Palestinian barrage had caused the massacre at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital.

Reuters goes on to report that the death toll was the highest of any single incident in Gaza during the current violence so far, and has triggered protests in the occupied West Bank, Istanbul and Amman.

On Wednesday, rescue workers were still removing bodies from the rubble. In the first hours after the blast, a Gaza civil defence chief said that 300 people were killed, while health ministry sources put the figure at 500, according to Reuters.

In a Twitter post following the massacre, the Maldivian leader urged the global community to push for a ceasefire and establish humanitarian corridors to ease the plight of Gaza’s residents.

He asserted that targeting hospitals and non-combatants is a gross violation of international law.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, Abdulla Shahid expressed shock and horror in learning of the Israeli attack on Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital and strongly condemned the attack.

In a statement publicized on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that attacks on hospitals and civilian infrastructures targeting civilians are unacceptable and are in explicit contravention of international humanitarian law. 

The Maldivian government has reiterated its call on the international community to use all possible measures to stop the inhumane attacks against innocent Palestinians and urge the international community to expediate the opening of humanitarian corridors to facilitate delivery of medicines, food supplies and basic needs to the Gaza Strip.

Health officials cited the hospital having confirmed that several children and pregnant women were among those killed and wounded in the blast, including infants newly born on Tuesday evening.

International media reports that more than 1,100 have been killed in the gruesome attacks on Gaza so far.