Türkiye condemns attack on Turkish-funded hospital in Gaza

ANKARA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's Foreign Ministry condemned on Monday "in the strongest terms" what it said was an Israeli attack on the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza.

"There can be no justification for such an attack on the only cancer hospital in Gaza, since all necessary information, including the coordinates of the institution in question, was shared with the Israeli authorities in advance," the ministry said in a statement.

Israeli airstrikes severely damaged the Turkish-funded hospital, according to the Palestinian health authorities in Gaza.

From 2011 to 2017, the Turkish government funded the construction of the 180-bed hospital, which covers an area of 34,800 square meters.

"The siege and these inhumane attacks, which aim to deprive the Palestinian people in Gaza of their most basic rights, clearly violate international law," the statement noted, demanding Israel stop targeting Gaza residents.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 8,382, according to the official Palestinian news agency of WAFA, while more than 1,400 people in Israel lost their lives, the vast majority in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, which triggered the latest conflict.

Since the conflict began, Gaza is believed to be on the brink of a humanitarian crisis, with very limited access to food and water, no fuel for electricity, and its health system overwhelmed.