US ultimately to blame for Gaza hospital strike – Medvedev
The US bears the ultimate responsibility for a strike on a Gaza hospital that left hundreds dead, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday amid the ongoing hostilities between Palestinian militant groups and Israel.
On Tuesday, a powerful explosion rocked the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in the Palestinian enclave, killing at least 500 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Al Arabiya reported, citing local authorities, that the total number of dead and wounded is more than 800, with the death toll expected to rise even further.
While Palestinian officials insisted that Israel was responsible for the tragedy, the latter denied the allegation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming that “it was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF,” referring to his country's defense forces.
The strike triggered strong reactions around the world, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying that he was horrified by the incident. It also led to violent protests in many Arab countries, with demonstrators storming an Israeli consulate in Jordan, while Western embassies in Türkiye, Tunisia and Lebanon were also targeted.
Meanwhile, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby signaled that US President Joe Biden, who is set to meet with Netanyahu, would pose “tough questions” to Israeli officials during his trip.
Writing on Telegram, Medvedev also weighed in on what he described as a “horrific attack” and “clearly a war crime.” “The final responsibility for it lies with those who cynically make money from wars… With those who thoughtlessly distribute colossal amounts of money for weapons to load its military-industrial complex with work and falsely proclaims their global mission to protect democratic values. The United States of America.”
The hospital strike came amid a new escalation in the Middle East. On October 7, the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched a surprise missile and ground attack on Israel, with hostilities resulting in hundreds dead and thousands injured; many Israeli civilians and soldiers were taken hostage. In response, Tel Aviv conducted retaliatory strikes and formally declared war on Hamas, the political and military organization which serves as the de facto government of Gaza.
