Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed shock at the loss of lives in an attack on a Gaza hospital and said those involved in civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict in West Asia should be held responsible.
Up to 500 people were believed to have died on Tuesday in the explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital, run by the Anglican church in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, and Israeli authorities have accused each other of being responsible for the blast.
“Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible,” Modi posted on X.
There was no official comment on the incident from the external affairs ministry. The post by the Prime Minister skirted the issue of what caused the explosion.
Modi’s remarks came amid spiralling violence between Israel and Hamas following the militant group’s assault on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,400 people and injured 3,800 people, mostly civilians. Hamas fighters took about 150 people hostage in the worst terror attack in Israel in nearly half a century.
In retaliation, the Israeli military targeted the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, one of the most densely populated places in the world, killing 3,300 people and injuring more than 10,000. Fears have grown about an Israeli ground invasion against the backdrop of a shortage of food, water and medicines within Gaza.
Modi had earlier denounced the Hamas assault as “terrorist attacks” and told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that India stands in solidarity with Israel. On October 11, the external affairs ministry too described the assault as a “terrorist attack” but sought to nuance India’s position by saying that the country has always backed direct negotiations for establishing a sovereign state of Palestine that can exist side-by-side with Israel.
This followed concerns among Arab states, which perceived India as totally backing Israel.
Hamas has attributed the blast at al-Ahli Arab Hospital to an Israeli air strike, while the Israeli military said it was not involved and the explosion was caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket that misfired.
The attack on the hospital, which was packed with victims of 10 days of Israeli air strikes and with families that had taken refuge on its grounds, triggered outrage around the world. There were angry protests in Arab countries and in some Western capitals.
The explosion occurred a day before US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel to show his “steadfast support” for the country. Jordan called off a planned meeting between Biden and the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority after the blast at the hospital.
On Wednesday, Biden said the US will work with Israel to prevent civilian deaths as it pounds Gaza, with Netanyahu promising to make efforts in this context.
“We will continue to have your back. As you work to defend your people, we will continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians,” Biden said after meeting Netanyahu’s war cabinet in Tel Aviv.
