TEHRAN - The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry has called for an immediate international investigation into the "appalling and astonishing" war crimes committed by Israel at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital.

In a statement shared on his social media platform X, Nasser Kanaani expressed profound shock at the extent of devastation, torture, killings, and the grim reality of Palestinian detainees within the hospital's premises. 

Kanaani underscored the urgency of an international inquiry, drawing attention to compelling evidence such as released images following a harrowing two-week siege by the Israeli military, alongside poignant testimonies from eyewitnesses and various media reports.

Highlighting the pressing need for accountability, Kanaani posed critical questions about the willingness of international bodies to uphold their responsibilities in the face of such egregious violations. 

"Will the well-known self-professed human rights advocates support an international investigation into this blatant war crime, or will the selective and discriminatory behaviour towards human rights continue?" Kanaani questioned.

According to a statement from the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli forces eventually withdrew from Al-Shifa Hospital after a prolonged two-week siege, leaving behind scenes of widespread destruction and a staggering number of casualties. 

The statement grimly detailed the loss of over 400 Palestinian lives, including patients, displaced individuals, and healthcare workers, during the Israeli military's assault on the hospital. Moreover, it disclosed that hundreds were detained and subjected to brutal torture.

The dire situation reached its peak on March 18 when heavily armed Israeli forces brazenly stormed the hospital, deploying tanks and drones while indiscriminately firing upon individuals within the complex. 

Despite Israel's claims of targeting the hospital due to alleged terrorist activities by the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas, the Ministry of Health in Gaza vehemently refuted these assertions. Instead, it revealed that approximately 3,000 people sought refuge within the hospital's confines, only to face the perilous threat of sniper fire and helicopter assaults should they attempt to flee.

Hundreds of bodies of slain civilians were found at al-Shifa Medical Complex, Palestinian news agencies quoted medical sources as saying.
The sources said Israeli forces destroyed the temporary cemetery that citizens had set up at the site, taking out the bodies from underground and dumping them in different areas of the hospital.