Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday condemned a deadly strike on a hospital in war-torn Gaza, calling it an "unjustifiable tragedy" without attributing blame.
Lula, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, reiterated his appeal for urgent international action to protect children and civilians in the Israel-Gaza war, in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"The attack on the Ahli Hospital is an unjustifiable tragedy. Wars are senseless," Lula wrote.
"Innocents should not have to pay for the insanity of war."
Israel and Palestinian fighters have traded blame over the strike on the Gaza City hospital Tuesday, which left nightmarish scenes of wounded victims and scores of bodies cloaked in blood-stained sheets and white plastic.
Israel denied Palestinian accusations of carrying out the strike, saying the hospital was hit by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket.
Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry said the explosion killed 471 people.