Iran has called on the members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to impose an oil embargo and other sanctions on Israel and expel all Israeli ambassadors over a deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza. The Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian made the remarks in a statement on Wednesday amid an emergency OIC meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The foreign minister calls for an immediate and complete embargo on Israel by Islamic countries, including oil sanctions, in addition to expelling Israeli ambassadors if relations with the Zionist regime have been established,” the ministry said.
The attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday night killed about 500 people, according to Palestinians, in one of the worst attacks since the violence began on October 7. Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qudra, said on Wednesday that hundreds were killed and rescue workers were still removing bodies from the rubble.
Pro-Palestinian protests erupted throughout the Middle East and North Africa following the attack and were staged at Israeli embassies in Jordan as well as Turkey and near the US embassy in Lebanon. Demonstrations also took place in Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen and Iraq.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas canceled a summit with his US counterpart and said the hospital blast was a “hideous war massacre” and that “Israel has crossed on red lines”.
The OIC meeting is expected to issue a statement condemning Israel’s aggression and calling for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid for Gaza. The OIC is also likely to reaffirm its support for the Palestinian cause and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.