Switzerland condemns rocket attack on hospital in Gaza Strip

A doctor at the scene of Al-Ahli hospital after an air strike in Gaza City on Tuesday Keystone / Mohammed Saber

The Swiss foreign ministry has condemned a rocket attack on a hospital in the Gaza Strip which is thought to have killed hundreds of people.

Switzerland is calling for a full investigation into the incident, the foreign ministry tweeted on Tuesday evening. “Following the attack on a hospital in Gaza, in which hundreds of people lost their lives, Switzerland wishes to remind everyone once again that hospitals and civilians must be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law,” it said.

+ Swiss foreign minister says Israel’s reaction should be ‘proportionate’

Hundreds of people were killed and injured at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital in the Gaza Strip after it was hit by a rocket, according to the local health ministry. The exact number of casualties was initially unclear.

Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital, with the Palestinian Authority’s health minister accusing Israel of causing a “massacre”.

Israel blamed the blast on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility.

+ Swiss man among victims of Hamas attack on Israel

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