Iran urges Muslim nations to sanction Israel after Gaza hospital ‘massacre’

Iran on Wednesday urged members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take a strong stance against Israel following the deadly strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, claiming more than 500 lives.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called for the imposition of an oil embargo and other sanctions on Israel and the expulsion of all Israeli ambassadors. He made these remarks during an emergency OIC meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which aimed to address the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

According to an official statement, the Iranian FM "calls for an immediate and complete embargo on Israel by Islamic countries, including oil sanctions, in addition to expelling Israeli ambassadors if relations with the Zionist regime have been established”.

Amirabdollahian also proposed the creation of a team of Islamic lawyers to document potential war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. It's important to note that Iran has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

The call for action came after a devastating Israeli air raid on a hospital in Gaza, resulting in a high casualty count, according to Palestinians. Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qudra, reported that hundreds of people lost their lives, and rescue efforts were still underway to recover bodies from the rubble.

The hospital strike triggered widespread pro-Palestinian protests across the Middle East and North Africa. Demonstrations were staged at Israeli embassies in Jordan, and Turkey, and near the US embassy in Lebanon. Protests also occurred in Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, and Iraq.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the hospital attack as a "hideous war massacre" and accused Israel of crossing the red lines. In response, Israel's military denied responsibility for the attack and claimed that a misfired Palestinian rocket struck the hospital.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised that it was "barbaric terrorists in Gaza" who attacked the hospital, not the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He argued that those responsible for killing Israeli children were also endangering Palestinian children.

The conflict's toll on human lives has been staggering, with Gaza's health authorities reporting at least 3,300 deaths and 13,000 injuries over the course of the 11-day conflict. In Israel, the death toll reached 1,400, with 4,475 injuries.

The situation has garnered international attention and condemnation, with calls for a peaceful resolution to the crisis growing louder.