Pakistan has strongly condemned the alleged Israeli attack on Al-Ahly Al-Mamadany Hospital in Gaza and described it as "an inhumane and indefensible act".
The attack caused a staggering number of casualties, making it one of the deadliest incidents in Gaza since the recent escalation of conflict, media reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Office called on the international community to take urgent action and "put an immediate end to the Israeli bombardment and siege of Gaza and the impunity with which the Israeli authorities have operated in recent days".
Bodies of Palestinians killed by an explosion at the Ahli Arab hospital
© AP Photo / Abed Khaled
Bilawal Bhutto Condemns Strike, Calls for 'Accountability'
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called the strike "an egregious violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, specifically the Geneva Convention".
"It’s a morally reprehensible crime which violates the principles of humanity and the laws of war by attacking unarmed civilians, sick and wounded including children needing care at a protected medical facility."
The incident warrants ''not just a strong condemnation'', the former Foreign Minister said, "but accountability through international legal mechanisms for these war crimes".
The Israeli military, however, has disputed the cause of the attack, attributing the explosion to a failed rocket, which was launched as part of a barrage directed at Israel by the Palestinian militant group.