India Tomorrow web desk
NEW DELHI—King Abdullah II of Jordan has refused to meet US President Joe Biden following Israel’s bombing of Anglican-run Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza last night, killing over 500 Palestinians. The hospital is run by Protestant Christian missionaries supervised by Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Biden was scheduled to meet the Jordan King after his visit to Israel today.
The bombing of a hospital by Israeli armed forces has increased the international community’s pressure on the US and Israel to halt the bombing of Gaza in which more than 3000 people have been killed so far. Bombing of hospitals is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
In the aftermath of a devastating Israeli air raid on Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, the international community is bracing for diplomatic repercussions as United States President Joe Biden prepares to touch down in Israel.
The strike, which occurred amid escalating tensions following an October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, resulted in the tragic death of at least 500 people, including patients and civilians seeking refuge in the hospital.
Al-Ahli Hospital was among 22 hospitals in the Gaza strip that had been ordered by Israeli forces to be evacuated. But Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, who is overal supervisor of the hospital, had issued a statement saying evacuation of the hospital was not possible because of the situation prevailing in Gaza. He had called for taking back the evacuation order for hospitals.
In a statement, the Archbishop condemned the Hamas attack on Israel but added that “the civilians of Gaza are not responsible for the crimes of Hamas.”
Jordan King cancels meeting with Joe Biden, Egyptian President and Palestinian Authority President
The hospital, a purported safe haven, became a target in the ongoing conflict, prompting Jordan to cancel a scheduled summit with Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The cancellation underscores the severity of the situation, with Jordan expressing its displeasure and deeming Biden unwelcome in Amman at the moment.
In response to the attack, Biden took to X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing his being “outraged and deeply saddened” but stopping short of directly criticizing Israel. Instead, he pledged to receive a comprehensive brief on Israel’s war aims and strategy, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security.
Despite the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, Biden and his administration have consistently emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself, aligning with its goal of dismantling Hamas. Notably absent from Biden’s statements is a direct call for Israel to show restraint, halt civilian bombings, or allow access to essential resources.
The situation has garnered global attention, with Iran issuing warnings of potential “pre-emptive” action if Israel continues its current path. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for an immediate halt to Gaza’s bombing and held Washington accountable for the crisis.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, in announcing the summit cancellation, blamed Israel for pushing the region “to the brink of the abyss” through its military campaign. King Abdullah II echoed these sentiments, denouncing Israel for a hospital blast that claimed hundreds of Palestinian lives, labelling it a “shame on humanity.”
Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict faced criticism from within the U.S., notably from Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Tlaib accused Biden of a “war and destruction only” approach, asserting that the refusal to facilitate a ceasefire had opened the eyes of many Palestinian and Muslim Americans.
Amidst mounting pressure, over 70 religious and activist groups, led by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, urged Biden to demand a ceasefire in Gaza during his visit.
WHO condemns bombing of hospital
World Health Organisation (WHO) strongly condemned the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip.
The WHO statement said, “The hospital was operational, with patients, health and caregivers, and internally displaced people sheltering there. Early reports indicate hundreds of fatalities and injuries.”
“The hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced,” WHO said in its statement posted on its website.
“WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and health care. Evacuation orders must be reversed. International humanitarian law must be abided by, which means health care must be actively protected and never targeted,” WHO pleaded.
On October 14, WHO had condemned Israel’s repeated orders for evacuation of 22 hospitals.
In a statement, the WHO had said, “As the United Nation’s agency responsible for public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) strongly condemns Israel’s repeated orders for the evacuation of 22 hospitals treating more than 2000 inpatients in northern Gaza. The forced evacuation of patients and health workers will further worsen the current humanitarian and public health catastrophe.
The lives of many critically ill and fragile patients hang in the balance: those in intensive care or who rely on life support; patients undergoing hemodialysis; newborns in incubators; women with complications of pregnancy, and others all face imminent deterioration of their condition or death if they are forced to move and are cut off from life-saving medical attention while being evacuated.
“Health facilities in northern Gaza continue to receive an influx of injured patients and are struggling to operate beyond maximum capacity. Some patients are being treated in corridors and outdoors in surrounding streets due to a lack of hospital beds.
“Forcing more than 2000 patients to relocate to southern Gaza, where health facilities are already running at maximum capacity and unable to absorb a dramatic rise in the number of patients, could be tantamount to a death sentence.
“Hospital directors and health workers are now facing an agonizing choice: abandon critically ill patients amid a bombing campaign, put their own lives at risk while remaining on site to treat patients, or endanger their patients’ lives while attempting to transport them to facilities that have no capacity to receive them. Overwhelmingly, caregivers have chosen to stay behind, and honor their oaths as health professionals to “do no harm,” rather than risk moving their critically ill patients during evacuations. Health workers should never have to make such impossible choices.
“Additionally, tens of thousands of displaced people in northern Gaza are seeking refuge in open spaces in or around hospitals, treating them as havens from violence as well as to protect the facilities from potential attacks. Their lives, too, are at risk when health facilities are bombed.
“There are verified reports of deaths of health care workers and destruction of health facilities, which denies civilians the basic human right of life-saving health care and is prohibited under International Humanitarian Law.
“WHO calls for Israel to immediately reverse evacuation orders to hospitals in northern Gaza, and calls for the protection of health facilities, health workers, patients, and civilians. WHO also reiterates its calls for the immediate and safe delivery of medical supplies, fuel, clean water, food, and other humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, where life-saving assistance – including WHO health supplies that arrived earlier today – is currently awaiting entry.”
