EU calls for clarity on cause of Gaza hospital blast

European leaders called for clarity on the cause of the Gaza hospital blast in which hundreds of people were reportedly killed.

EU prime ministers and presidents were holding a video summit to forge a common position on the Israel-Hamas war when the explosion happened at the Ahli Arab Hospital.

Israel has claimed the strike was a failed rocket launch from the Palestinian territories rather than a missile fired by its own forces.

The morning after the attack Charles Michel, the European Council president, said: “It’s imperative that all the facts surrounding this incident are thoroughly investigated, and those responsible are held accountable.”

In Berlin, protesters, armed with stones and rocks, clashed with police in the Neukolln district after news of the bombing broke.

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, who is in Israel, said: “I am horrified by the images of the explosion in a hospital in Gaza. Innocent civilians were injured and killed.”

Mr Scholz, who was forced to take cover on Monday night after his plane came under rocket fire at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, added: “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. A thorough investigation of the incident is imperative.”

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, called on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to get to the Gaza Strip “without delay” after the explosion.

He said: “Nothing can justify striking a hospital. Nothing can justify targeting civilians. France condemns the attack on the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which made so many Palestinian victims.”

Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, expressed “dismay and grief for the hundreds of victims at the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza” and said: The protection of the civilian population must be the absolute priority.”

Jose Manuel Albares, Spain’s acting foreign minister, said on Wednesday that his country would boost this year’s humanitarian aid to Palestinian territories by €4 million (£3.5 million) to a total of €21 million.

A spokesman for Spain’s foreign ministry said: “We condemn the appalling massacre at Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Our solidarity with the innocent civilian victims. International humanitarian law must be respected.”

Hundreds of people, many flying Palestinian flags, took to the streets of Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Tuesday evening to protest against the explosion.

They also gathered outside Israel’s embassy in The Hague, chanting “Israeli murderers” and “free Palestine”. An American flag was also set alight.

Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, said: “We are in close contact with our international partners to ensure that humanitarian and medical aid can enter Gaza as quickly as possible. Regardless of the circumstances, the humanitarian suffering of so many innocent victims is paramount.”

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said: “I am saddened by the strike against the Ahli Arab Hospital and the huge death toll. There is no excuse for hitting a hospital full of medical staff and civilians.”

Speaking before the European Parliament in Strasbourg, she said the explosion that hit the hospital, turned it into “a hell of fire” but did not apportion blame.

Ms von der Leyen, who has faced criticism from some member states for not strongly insisting that Israel respects international law, said: “All the facts have to be established, and those responsible must be held accountable.”

Leo Varadkar, the Irish taoiseach, told EU leaders that Israel had to make a distinction between “Hamas and innocent Palestinian people” as he spoke of the “dire humanitarian situation” in Gaza. Earlier, he said in the Irish parliament that he had told Mrs von der Leyen her comments on Israel had “lacked balance”.

Hadja Lahbib, Belgium’s foreign minister, said: “Belgium calls for respect for international law. Civilians must not be targeted, nor used as hostages or shields.”

Russia, an international pariah over its invasion of Ukraine, called on Israel and the United States to provide satellite imagery to prove its claims that it was not involved in the explosion.

“We qualify such a felonious deed as a crime, as an act of dehumanisation,” Maria Zakharova, a foreign ministry spokeswoman, told Radio Sputnik. “Please be so kind as to provide satellite images, and it would be nice if American partners did it.”