The director of a hospital in Gaza City has made a desperate plea for the international community to intervene and stop the Israeli bombardment of the besieged enclave, after an explosion killed hundreds of people, mostly children and women, on Tuesday.
Yousef al-Akkad, who runs the European Gaza Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, said he witnessed “unparalleled and indescribable” scenes of horror and devastation as he received the victims of the blast, which hit the al-Bakri family house where thousands of civilians were seeking shelter from the Israeli strikes.
“Look at these children. Who is killing these children?” al-Akkad asked, standing behind the bandaged and bloodied bodies of the toddlers. “Free world, where are you regarding these massacres committed against this bereaved and oppressed people?”
The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least nine people were killed, including seven children, in the attack, and many more were trapped under the rubble. The ministry blamed ongoing Israeli airstrikes for the lethal incident, which it called a “war crime”.