Protests against Israel
Hezbollah calls for a “day of unprecedented anger”.
October 18, 2023, 12:29 a.m
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In the Muslim world it is clear: Israel bears responsibility for the rocket strike in a hospital in the Gaza Strip. In Beirut, Amman and Istanbul and other countries, people are taking to the streets, Iran and Hezbollah are using the opportunity to continue to incite against the “arch enemy Israel”.
Spontaneous protests broke out in several predominantly Muslim countries after a rocket hit a hospital in the Gaza Strip with numerous victims. In Amman, demonstrators tried to get to the Israeli embassy, the Jordanian news agency Petra reported. Jordanian security circles reportedly rejected reports that the building had been stormed. The demonstrators were removed from the area. Videos on social media showed them chanting “to the message.”
Numerous demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli consulate in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul on Tuesday evening. Some waved Palestinian flags and chanted: “Down with Israel!”, a broadcast from the state news agency Anadolu showed. The police were there with a large contingent to protect the consulate in the Levent district. Israel has now asked its citizens to leave Turkey because of the threat.
In Iran, a crowd in Tehran’s city center chanted “Down with Israel,” videos from the state news agency IRNA showed. The government declared Wednesday a day of mourning. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman strongly condemned the attack and blamed its arch-enemy Israel.
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, eyewitnesses said hundreds of Hezbollah supporters poured into the streets and called for Tel Aviv to be bombed. The pro-Iranian militia declared a “day of unprecedented anger” against Israel late in the evening. This is also directed against US President Joe Biden’s solidarity visit to Israel planned for Wednesday. Biden wants to “support the criminal regime.” The Lebanese militia emphasized that words of condemnation were no longer enough. She called on people in the Arab and Islamic world to express their outrage through protests.
Setback for diplomatic efforts
Eleven days after the devastating terrorist attack on Israel by the Islamist Hamas, Biden wants to hold a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, among other things. Afterwards there were also talks with Egypt’s head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Jordanian King Abdullah II. The latter has since canceled his participation. Saudi Arabia blames Israel for the attack. In a statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry, Riyadh strongly condemned the “heinous crime.”
According to the Ministry of Health there, hundreds of people were killed and injured by an impact in the hospital in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian information, this was caused by Israeli bombings. Israel rejects this. The Israeli military blamed Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Information therefore indicates a failed rocket launch by the militant Palestinian organization. The exact number of deaths is still unclear.