Israeli warplanes on Tuesday evening launched an airstrike against the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza city, killing and injuring a large number of people.
Sources said that Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike against the hospital, where thousands of displaced people sought refuge after their homes were destroyed in the ongoing Israeli shelling.
A video footage showed an ambulance transporting martyrs and the injured, while fire broke out as a result of the shelling.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided on Tuesday to withdraw from the quartet summit scheduled on Wednesday in Jordan after the bombing of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza
Meanwhile, the Jordanian royal court announced on Tuesday that a Tripartite summit will be held on Wednesday in the Jordanian capital Amman, with the participation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, US President Joe Biden and Jordanian King Abdullah II to discuss the grave developments in Gaza and their implications for the region, and to work towards a political solution that revives the peace process.
The Jordanian king will hold separate meetings with President Al-Sisi and his American and Palestinian counterparts, where the discussions will focus on ways to stop the ongoing war on Gaza and the urgency of its consequences for the region and ensure the delivery of humanitarian and relief aid to the Strip.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, which holds the current presidency of the European Union, expressed serious concern about the continued escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and the accompanying deterioration of the security and humanitarian conditions there.
This came during a phone call from Sanchez to Al-Sisi on Tuesday about the situation in Gaza.
The spokesperson of the presidency, Ahmed Fahmy, said that the two leaders stressed the need to coordinate international efforts to urge the parties to cease hostilities to prevent further loss of innocent civilian lives and prevent the security repercussions of the conflict from spreading to the entire region.
President Al-Sisi also emphasized the need for the international community to join forces to ensure access to humanitarian services and assistance provided to the Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as to push for addressing the root causes of the escalation by reaching a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi also received phone calls from Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday within the framework of ongoing consultations regarding the current developments in Gaza. They agreed on the seriousness of the situation given its severe humanitarian impact on civilians, as well as its potential to destabilize the region.
In this regard, Al-Sisi reviewed Egypt’s tireless efforts to achieve calm, as well as to provide and facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that attempts to misrepresent Egypt’s stance on the Rafah crossing are “unacceptable,” noting in media statements that the crossing was bombed by Israel four times, and therefore cannot operate normally.
Shoukry added that the Rafah crossing has not been officially closed by the Egyptian authorities since the start of the crisis in Gaza. He emphasized that Egypt is working with all parties to reach an agreement to send aid to Gaza, saying: “We are in constant contact with UN organizations to find a way to open a safe corridor for humanitarian assistance. But so far, no agreement has been reached with the other side on the crossing.”
Shoukry also condemned Israel’s call for displacement to the south as “completely contrary to international humanitarian law,” and said that leaving people without water, electricity, and food also violates international norms.
