‘Unacceptable massacres of civilians’: MSF
Doctors Without Borders, a medical charity known by its French initials MSF, says its teams in central and southern Gaza are responding to influxes of patients:
- In Nasser Hospital, it received 55 dead and 113 injured
- In Deir el-Balah, the MSF field hospital received 10 injured
- In Al-Aqsa Hospital, it received 20 dead and 68 injured
- Its Attar clinic in al-Mawasi, which was also hit with shrapnel, received 26 injured
“We woke up, at around 2am local time, to 20 minutes of airstrikes and heavy artillery, just like the past 15 months of war,” Claire Nicolet, MSF head of emergencies, said in a statement.
“We are appalled and outraged by these new unacceptable massacres of civilians.”
Saudi Arabia, Qatar slam Israeli attacks on Gaza
Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the latest Arab states to condemn Israel’s overnight onslaught.
Qatar, which is trying to help mediate an extended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, strongly denounced the attacks, warning that Israel’s escalation rised igniting the region.
Its Foreign Ministry also stressed the urgent need to resume dialogue to implement the stages of the ceasefire deal leading to the end of the war
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, slammed “in the strongest terms” Israel’s “direct shelling of civilian areas, with no regard for international humanitarian law”.
The kingdom’s Foreign Ministry also emphasised “the importance of an immediate cessation of Israeli killing, violence and destruction, as well as the protection of Palestinian civilians from the unjust war machine”.
‘Mourn and reject’: Ireland, Spain condemn Israeli violence against Gaza people
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has condemned Israel’s renewed strikes on the enclave, saying he “can’t find the words to describe the situation in Gaza”.
“We must mourn and reject this new wave of violence and these new bombings, which indiscriminately hit the civilian population,” he told broadcaster Onda Cero.
Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin also condemned the Israeli violence, calling “on all parties to respect the ceasefire and the agreement to release hostages and return to negotiations”.
“I will be discussing the serious situation in the Middle East with EU leaders at this week’s meeting of the European Council and will be urging that we agree a clear and united EU position aimed at stopping any further escalation,” he said.
EU, UK and France call for Gaza ceasefire agreement to be respected
European Council President Antonio Costa has said he was “shocked and saddened” by the killing of civilians in the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
“Violence must stop and the terms of the ceasefire agreement must be respected,” Costa said on X. “All hostages and detainees must be released, and humanitarian aid must be resumed immediately.”
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said reports of civilian casualties were “appalling” and urged all parties to “return urgently to dialogue” to end fighting and for the ceasefire agreement to be implemented “in full”.
France’s Foreign Ministry called for an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations. It also urged Israel to protect civilians and to stop blocking humanitarian aid, water and electricity from reaching the Gaza Strip and called on Hamas to unconditionally release all captives held in Gaza.
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