The latest Israeli bombing of a UN clinic in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 22 Palestinians, including nine children.
Qatar has strongly condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, as well as the Israeli military’s bombing of a United Nations clinic in the northern Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry denounced Ben-Gvir’s entry into the mosque compound under police protection, calling it a “repeated attempt to undermine the religious and historical status of Al-Aqsa,” and warned of escalating violence in the region.
The ministry urged the international community to “confront repeated Israeli attacks on civilian facilities” and stressed that such actions “constitute an assault not only on Palestinians but on millions of Muslims worldwide”.
Ben-Gvir, accompanied by more than 20 settlers, toured the mosque’s courtyards ahead of the Jewish Passover holiday.
According to an official with the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem, this marks the Israeli minister’s sixth such incursion since joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in 2022.
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait collectively condemned the move as a “blatant violation of international law” and a provocation against Muslim sentiments.
Hamas called it a “provocative and dangerous escalation,” saying the visit was “part of the ongoing genocide against our Palestinian people”.
“We call on our Palestinian people and our youth in the West Bank to escalate their confrontation… in defense of our land and our sanctities, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the movement said in a statement.
UN clinic bombed in Jabalia
On Wednesday, Israeli forces bombed a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) clinic in the Jabalia refugee camp, killing 22 civilians, including nine children.
One of the victims was a newborn, who was decapitated in the attack.
Footage from the northern Gaza Strip showed charred bodies and widespread destruction, with witnesses describing scenes as “beyond logic”.
“The martyrs were burned,” one survivor told Al Jazeera . “We found human flesh…Separated heads and body parts were everywhere.”
The Gaza Government Media Office condemned the attack as a “war crime,” and stated Israeli forces have attacked 228 civilian shelters since its military attacks in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023.
During the same time period, UNRWA reported that 284 staff were killed and 650 facilities were damaged in Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 1,042 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed its genocide on March 18, bringing the total death toll to over 50,000 since October 2023.
The actual death toll, however, is believed to be much higher, with thousands missing or buried under the rubble.
