ROME

Italy’s prime minister on Wednesday expressed her deep sorrow for the bombing that killed hundreds of people at a hospital in northern Gaza, renewing her call for the protection of civilians caught in the middle of the 12-day-old conflict.

“I am deeply saddened by what happened at Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. Italy expresses its deep condolences for the victims and its closeness to the families and the injured,” Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.

“While waiting for definitive confirmation on the dynamics of the events, we once again renew our commitment to protect the civilian population, resolve the most urgent humanitarian problems, and ensure a rapid solution to this crisis,” she added.

More than 500 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza late Tuesday, a Gaza Health Ministry spokesman told Anadolu.

Footage on social media showed corpses scattered across the hospital grounds.

Thousands of Palestinians were at the hospital when the building came under bombardment, an Anadolu reporter said.

Israeli authorities have denied involvement in the explosion, claiming it was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

The airstrike came on the 12th day of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, with a growing international chorus of non-governmental groups and world leaders saying the Israeli bombing campaign on the besieged enclave – including healthcare facilities, residences, and houses of worship – violates international law and may constitute war crimes.