Türkiye declares 3 days of mourning over Gaza Hospital airstrike

Türkiye declared 3 days of mourning over the Gaza Hospital airstrike that killed hundreds.

The Turkish nation will be mourning for 471 Palestinians killed in Israel’s attack on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza as per a presidential decree, local media reported Wednesday.

As announced by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), funeral prayers in absentia were offered on Wednesday in all mosques in Türkiye following noon prayers for the Gaza victims.

“This expresses that Türkiye stands with the innocent in Palestine,” the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Spokesperson Ömer Çelik told reporters in Ankara.

“We share the same pain, the same sorrow,” he told reporters at a weekly press conference.

Turkish President accused Israel of “striking a hospital sheltering women, children and innocent civilians”.

President Erdogan on Tuesday condemned the strike as “the latest example of Israeli attacks devoid of the most basic human values,” in a message on social media.

Condemnations continued to pour in on Tuesday and Wednesday over Israel targeting the hospital in Gaza, which has been broadly described as a “war crime” by politicians and Human Rights Watch.

Israel, however, has denied responsibility for the airstrike, blaming instead a misfiring rocket from the Palestinian resistance groups.

In Türkiye, rallies erupted in most of the 81 provinces to condemn the attack.

As reported, a number of demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday evening.

Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted, “Down with Israel!” Police were on the scene with a large contingent to protect the consulate.

In the southern city of Adana, hundreds of protesters converged outside the building of the U.S. Consulate.

Furthermore, in the eastern province of Malatya, a large crowd gathered around a U.S. radar station as local security forces took strict security measures.

The continued Israeli bombing campaign on Including healthcare facilities, residences, and houses of worship violates international law and may constitute war crimes.

Gaza is already facing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out.