Putin called the attack on a hospital in Gaza a tragedy

The attack on Al Ahly Hospital in the Gaza Strip is a tragedy and a terrible event. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this during a press conference in Beijing.

“As for the attack, as you said, on the hospital, the tragedy that occurred there, this is a terrible event. Hundreds of dead and hundreds of wounded – this is, of course, a disaster <...> humanitarian nature,” he said.

The Russian leader said that the conflict must be “winded down as quickly as possible” or “reduced to the possibility of starting some kind of contacts and negotiations.” Putin noted that after conversations with five leaders of the region, he “gave the impression that no one wants to continue, develop the conflict and worsen the situation.”

The attack on Al-Ahly hospital in the Gaza Strip took place on October 17. According to Al Arabiya, the attack killed more than 800 people. The Palestinian side blamed Israeli forces for the strike.

The Israeli Army (IDF) stated that the incident was connected with an unsuccessful rocket launch towards Israel by Islamic Jihad (an organization recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia), also based in Gaza. Earlier today IDF publishedand a transcript of a conversation between Hamas militants, which, according to the department, allegedly confirms the Palestinian side’s involvement in the attack on a hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called the attack on a hospital in the Gaza Strip a war crime for which the United States bears responsibility. In the Russian Foreign Ministry statedthat what happened was an “act of dehumanization.”