Day of national mourning and mass protests in Lebanon
Several demonstrations were organized in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, to condemn the attack on the hospital in Gaza that left at least 500 people dead. The protests in Beirut were centered outside the embassy of the United States, Israel’s main ally in the region. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that Wednesday would be a day of national mourning for the victims of “the massacres and attacks of the Israeli enemy” after learning of the attack on Al-Ahli Hospital.
The decree, published by the official Lebanese news agency ANN, highlighted that this “massacre, which targeted defenseless civilians at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, represents a disgrace in the history of humanity.” As a result, “all flags hoisted in official offices, institutions and communities will be lowered as a sign of mourning and the usual programs of radio and television stations will be adjusted in accordance with this momentous event,” he added.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement called for a “Day of Rage” on Tuesday to condemn an alleged Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza City. The Israeli military blamed Islamic Jihad, another armed group based in the Gaza Strip, for a rocket crash. Hundreds of people also gathered in front of the French embassy in Beirut, raising Hezbollah flags and throwing stones at the building. In Tehran, the capital of Iran, there were protests in front of the French and British embassies, and television images show further demonstrations in front of the Israeli mission in Turkey and Jordan, in southwest Yemen and in the capitals of Morocco and Iraq.