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Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt condemn Israel over Gaza hospital blast

Gaza officials said hundreds were killed in the strike against the al-Ahli hospital, and the incident constitutes a major escalation in Israel’s war with Hamas.

Lebanon protest
A Lebanese protester flashes the V for victory sign on Oct. 18, 2023, as a fire rages behind the security gate of the US embassy after clashes with security forces during a demonstration in Awkar, east of Beirut, following a strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip killed at least 200 people on Oct. 17. — JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Outrage spread across the Arab world and Jordan canceled a planned summit with US President Joe Biden following a deadly blast at a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that killed hundreds. Israel and Hamas exchanged blame for the blast. 

The foreign ministries of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar condemned Israel for the attack. The UAE, Jordan and Egypt both signed normalization and peace agreements with Israel.

On Tuesday, UAE and Russia called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting Tuesday. 

"The UAE and Russia have called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, following the strike on a hospital in Gaza," the UAE UN mission spokesperson Sgagad Matar wrote on X.

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