The Polish foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that "Poland is outraged by the unacceptable toll of innocent civilian lives taken by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict."
It added that "the shocking news of the atrocity at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza adds to this horror."
The Polish foreign ministry stated that civilians "must be protected in accordance with international and humanitarian law."
It called on "all sides to act to deescalate the conflict."
On Tuesday, a strike on a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of Palestinians, deepening tensions in the Middle East, news agencies reported.
The blast at the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital killed between 300 and 500 people, according to local officials.
Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital, while Israel blamed the blast on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility, the Reuters news agency reported.
Biden visits Israel
US President Joe Biden said during a visit to Israel on Wednesday that he was "deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza."
Biden told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there who’re not sure. So we have to overcome a lot of things."
The Israel-Hamas war began when the Palestinian organisation Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, according to media reports.
European Union leaders on Sunday condemned Hamas attacks on Israel and backed Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law.
The Polish prime minister has participated in an “extraordinary European Council meeting by video conference” on the situation in the Middle East amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, CNN
