Somalia condemns Israeli airstrike on Gaza hospital

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Federal Republic of Somalia says it is "deeply" concerned with the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip, adding that it strongly condemns Tuesday's airstrike by the Israeli Defence Forces [IDF] which targeted a busy hospital in the City, causing deaths and mass destruction of property.

At least 500 civilians mainly women and children are said to have been killed in the airstrike, the worst since the conflict between Israel and Palestine emerged a fortnight ago. The two sides have been wrangling for decades over the alleged occupation and expansionist attitude of Israel.

Somalia, a member of the League of Arab States, insisted that Israel must take responsibility for the attack, which has been widely condemned around the world. The United Nations has already called for a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

"The Federal Republic of Somalia expresses its strong condemnation and outrage over the atrocious bombing of the Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces, which resulted in the death and injury of more than 500 Palestinian civilians, including women and children," Somalia said.

"Israeli Defence Forces must take full responsibility for this deadly attack which targeted innocent civilians," the Horn of Africa nation added in a statement, joining several countries that are calling Israeli to stop bombarding Gaza.

Both sides have blamed each other for the airstrike at Ahli Baptist Hospital, with Hamas maintaining that the rocket was fired by the Israeli army which is also considering ground operations within the occupied region. Hamas has released videos to justify the claim, which has been disputed by Israelis.

On their part, IDF have rejected claims linking them to the airstrike, and have since released videos to prove that it was a "flopped" missile launch by the Hamas, which started the offensive a fortnight ago. The conflict has left over 4,000 people dead, authorities confirmed.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden landed in Israel after expressing concerns over the attack in the hospital. His host, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, termed the visit "historic" as he warned that Israelis will not give terrorists "room to breathe".

GAROWE ONLINE