LONDON

The deadly airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza must be investigated as a war crime, Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins said Wednesday.

Speaking in Italy, Higgins said that it is “very, very important that there be a reliable investigation as to how it (incident) came to be, who is responsible and what the consequences are.”

“It must be investigated, certainly, as a war crime,” the president was quoted as saying by the journal.ie, an online Irish newspaper.

Higgins said people in southern Gaza were “already living in very stressed conditions” due to lack of food and water, expressing his outrage on any attacks on civilians.

“I express, and have expressed again and again, utter revulsion at the attack of people attending, for example, a music event,” Higgins said, referring to Hamas’ attack in Israel.

“But we are not asked to choose and say that we must exclusively concentrate on that particular horror and, at the same time, set aside our concerns at what are the pre-announced, delivered breaches of international law that are involved when you remove water, when you remove medical aid, when you remove food itself from civilian populations.”

Calling for a cease-fire, the Irish president also said that there has been a “sustained interest” to resolve the ongoing conflict in the Israeli-Palestinian region, adding that “we all know that the Palestinian people are not Hamas.”

At least 471 people were killed and 342 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza late Tuesday, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Israel, however, has denied responsibility for the air raid.

Gaza is already experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out.

The conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”

At least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.