UN chief 'deeply alarmed' by Israeli strike on Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) -United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply alarmed" astatine Sunday's onslaught by Israeli forces connected the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital successful Gaza, his spokesperson said connected Tuesday.

"Under planetary humanitarian law, wounded and sick, aesculapian unit and aesculapian facilities, including hospitals, indispensable beryllium respected and protected," the U.N. chief's spokesperson said.

He said the onslaught dealt "a terrible stroke to an already devastated healthcare strategy successful the Strip", adding determination was beardown interest that aesculapian supplies are moving debased arsenic good arsenic nutrient and water.

Two Israeli missiles deed the large Gaza infirmary connected Sunday, putting the exigency section retired of enactment and damaging different structures, medics said, successful a onslaught that Israel said was aimed astatine Hamas fighters exploiting the facility.

Health officials astatine the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital evacuated patients aft a telephone telephone from idiosyncratic who identified himself arsenic Israeli information soon earlier the attack.

No caller humanitarian supplies person entered the Palestinian enclave since Israel blocked the introduction of assistance trucks connected March 2, arsenic talks stalled connected the adjacent signifier of a present breached truce. Israel resumed its subject battle connected March 18.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 25,000 assistance trucks had entered Gaza successful the 42 days of the ceasefire and that Hamas had utilized the assistance to rebuild its warfare machine, an allegation which the radical has denied.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, editing by Rachel More and Raju Gopalakrishnan)