An inhuman act

By Andrea Tornielli

The massacre of civilians that took place in Gaza last night, striking the al-Ahli Arabi Anglican hospital, is an inhuman act. The attack claimed hundreds of civilian casualties, including many women and children.

It’s an act that is in no way justifiable. Recently, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, interviewed by the Vatican Media, used the same word – “inhuman” – to describe the terrorist attack against Israel on 7th October and the massacre of civilians, women and children.  

He also reiterated the right of Israelis to defend themselves and to fight the terrorist threat posed by Hamas militants, whilst also recalling that "legitimate defence must respect the criterion of proportionality" and calling for civilians in Gaza to be spared.

In the last few hours we have witnessed an exchange of accusations: the authorities in Gaza, along with Hamas, attribute the destruction of the hospital, which is located in an area that Israel had asked to be cleared of civilians, to an Israeli bombardment. The IDF has denied responsibility, attributing the massacre to a malfunctioning missile launched by Islamic Jihad, which in turn denies the accusation. 

At this dramatic juncture in human history, with the 'pieces' of that Third World War Pope Francis speaks of coming together at an unexpected speed, there is a need to defeat terrorism without further fuelling hatred, and without ever forgetting international humanitarian law.

While we wait to learn more about the criminal act of destroying a hospital, where medical personnel, without resources and already at breaking point, were treating the sick and wounded, we must appeal to the international community to intervene to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and the outbreak of a conflict with unimaginable consequences.

The British Foreign Minister James Cleverly has said recently that “The UK will work with our allies to find out what has happened” in the hospital and “protect innocent civilians”. He also reiterated that “the protection of civilian lives must come first”. It is to be hoped that other voices will join his in demanding truth about what happened.

The inhumanity of the terrorist massacre perpetrated in Israeli kibbutzim against innocent victims, and the inhumanity of the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, must never make us lose sight of the prospect of a future of peace and justice for the whole Middle East.

In the interview mentioned above, Cardinal Parolin said: “It seems to me that the greatest possible justice in the Holy Land is the two-state solution, which would allow Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side, in peace and security, meeting the aspirations of most of them”. He explained that the Holy See continues to support this aspiration and this right despite everything. And he had called for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas, and full respect for humanitarian law.