Iranian protestors attend an anti-Israel rally as they hold up posters of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian and Palestinian flags, at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Is the bombing of al-Ahli hospital in Gaza “a new turning point” in the war against Israel?
“This war, which has entered a dangerous phase, will plunge the region into an unspeakable disaster.” This was the warning of Jordan’s King Abdullah II after an explosion Tuesday in the courtyard of Gaza’s al-Ahli hospital killed hundreds of people. It is made all the more ominous by his nation’s moderate political stance and longstanding peace agreement with Israel. After the blast, the king canceled a planned summit between President Joe Biden, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Hamas immediately blamed an Israeli airstrike for the tragedy. However, Israel, the US government, and independent security experts said yesterday that preliminary evidence shows the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were not responsible and points instead to a failed rocket launch from Gaza by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a local militant group.
Nonetheless, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Arabs and Muslims worldwide to protest against Israel and claimed the explosion will mark “a new turning point.” Early response across the Muslim world indicates that he may tragically be right:
The Jordanian government announced three days of mourning after the hospital explosion, which it called the “Israeli massacre.”
Hezbollah called for a “day of rage against the enemy” after the blast. Hundreds of demonstrators threw stones at the French and US embassies in Beirut, chanting “death to America” and “death to Israel.” The government closed schools yesterday.
Iran, which has warned of “preemptive” attacks should Israel proceed with a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, condemned Israel for the “heinous attack.”
Syria stated that it holds Western countries, especially the US, “responsible for this massacre.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the explosion “the latest example of Israel’s attacks devoid of fundamental human values.”
Saudi Arabia stated that it “condemns in the strongest possible terms the heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces.”
Could the al-Ahli hospital bombing indeed be a “turning point” in this tragic conflict?
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