Protests erupt in the Middle East and North Africa after a hospital explosion in Gaza

Protest marches took place in several Middle Eastern countries after hundreds of people were killed in a hospital explosion in the Gaza Strip. Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the tragedy.

As he writes CNNIn Jordan, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of the western capital Amman on Tuesday evening as a group gathered outside the Israeli embassy in the Rabieh neighborhood, but security forces overpowered them and pushed them back.

Jordanian security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds in Amman.

Protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in the early hours of Wednesday, October 18, 2023, near the US Embassy in Awkar. Hundreds of protesters gathered in a square leading to the US embassy north of Beirut and tried to break through security barriers.

In Iraq, hundreds of people took to the streets of Baghdad, chanting anti-Israeli slogans. Security officials in Baghdad said dozens of protesters tried to cross the bridge leading into the Green Zone but were prevented from crossing by security forces. Baghdad’s Green Zone is home to Iraqi government offices and several embassies, including the US Embassy.

In Iran, protests also took place outside the French and British embassies in Tehran, the country’s capital. Demonstrators could be heard chanting “Death to France, England, America and the Zionists.”

Rallies were also held in other cities, including Isfahan and Qom.

In Tunisia, hundreds of people held rallies in several areas of the capital Tunis after a hospital explosion. Mass protests were held in several areas “in solidarity with the Palestinian people” and against Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.