Global Calls for Arms Embargo Against Israel Intensify After Hospital Attack
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, following the use of U.S.-manufactured bombs in an attack on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, international demands for an arms embargo against the Israeli regime have resurfaced. The attack, which occurred near midnight, claimed the lives of six Palestinians and injured 28 others, including doctors and patients.
Dylan Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at the Center for International Policy, called for an immediate arms embargo in response to the incident. This appeal reflects growing demands to cease U.S. military backing for Israel, particularly as medical facilities and civilians, including healthcare workers, continue to be targeted.
Trevor Ball, an analyst at the Arms Control Research Service, told The New York Times that images and videos from the explosion site showed remnants of two 250-pound precision-guided air-dropped bombs, both manufactured in the United States.
Common Dreams, citing data from the Council on Foreign Relations, reported that legislative measures enacted since October 2023 have allocated at least $16.3 billion in direct military aid to Israel. Additionally, the Israeli armed forces receive another $3.8 billion annually from the U.S.
The outlet added that the administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump have defended Israel’s war in Gaza, despite hospitals, journalists, aid workers, and children being targeted. Tel Aviv has repeatedly justified the bombing of medical facilities by claiming Hamas uses these sites for military purposes.
Ayman Abu Obeid, a surgeon injured in the attack, told The Guardian that the Israeli army provided no prior warning for the evacuation of patients and medical staff. He described that all surgical ward patients were awaiting operations, and the bombing occurred during hours when they should have been asleep. The doctor recounted scenes of destruction and injury within the hospital, detailing how the explosion caused thick smoke and fires in rooms, leading to cries of pain from the wounded, with several medical staff injured by shrapnel.
Hajja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality, Readiness, and Crisis Management, emphasized that hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law and should not be military targets. She called for a swift, independent, and impartial investigation to ensure accountability and protect civilians.
Meanwhile, Common Dreams highlighted the death of Rizq Abushaa’ira, a 52-year-old surgeon featured in the documentary “American Doctor” about the work of U.S. physicians in Gaza. Dr. Feroz Siddiqui, an American surgeon featured in the documentary, stated that Abushaa’ira was killed while working at the hospital during the bombing of the surgical resuscitation room at the Nasser Medical Complex. He added that this event once again raises the responsibility of the U.S. government in its military support for Israel, a government that, in his view, has no right to compel Americans to finance the killing of doctors and children in Palestine or anywhere else.
