PALESTINE
Wed 18 Oct 2023 8:18 am - Jerusalem Time
Pro-Palestine protests break out across West Asia after Gaza hospital strike
Protests broke out in cities across West Asia after a deadly strike at a hospital in Gaza claimed hundreds of Palestinian lives. The Hamas-administered Gazan authorities claimed more than 500 people died in the hospital airstrike committed by the Israeli side. Israel was quick to refute the claim and said that the blast occurred due to a 'misfired' missile that was aimed at Israel.
A report in CNN cited sources to claim that Israel has provided the US with intelligence it has gathered related to the deadly Gaza hospital explosion, to establish its purported innocence in what has been the deadliest civilian casualty toll in a single incidence during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The hospital was reportedly sheltering thousands of displaced people who were evacuated from their homes, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said in a statement.
Here's a look at protests erupting across West Asia following the mass casualty event that occurred at the Gaza hospital:
In the Jordanian capital Amman, hundreds of protesters took to the streets as a group gathered near the Israeli embassy, a move deterred by the security forces stationed there.
Jordan's state-run Petra news agency also reported the protesters' attempts to reach the embassy and subsequent instances of arson in the area.
In an announcement that coincided with raging protests in Amman, Jordan cancelled a planned summit of the leaders of Egypt and Palestine with US President Joe Biden.
Biden's West Asia itinerary now includes only a visit to Israel.
Gaza hospital strike: Protests break out in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran
In Lebanon, hundreds of protesters took to the streets near the US embassy in the capital Beirut while attempting to break through the security barriers.
In the Iraqi capital Baghdad, hundreds of people took to the streets to chant anti-Israel slogans.
Dozens of protesters reportedly attempted to cross a bridge that leads to Green Zone, CNN reported. But security forces prevented them from crossing it, the publication reported further.
Baghdad's Green Zone houses Iraqi government offices and foreign embassies.
In the Iranian capital Tehran, protests also took place outside the French and British embassies. Anti-Israel protests also occurred in other cities such as Esfahan and Qom.
Israel's retaliation against Gaza Strip-based Hamas following the events of Oct 7-8 — that killed over 1,400 Israeli citizens — has led to the death of nearly 3,000 Palestinian people in the thickly populated Gaza Strip.
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Pro-Palestine protests break out across West Asia after Gaza hospital strike