Anti-Israel riots sweep Middle East after Gaza hospital destroyed

Anti-Israel riots have erupted at multiple facilities belonging to the country across the Middle East in the wake of a Gaza hospital's destruction that local authorities have blamed on an Israeli airstrike.

Major disruptions have occurred at the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan as well as the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey; and the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, as of Tuesday evening. The rallies appear to be motivated by the Tuesday destruction of the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The Gazan Health Ministry has stated that at least 500 people died. Hamas, which governs the strip, has blamed the Israelis, though the Israel Defense Forces denied the claim and blamed a Palestinian rocket misfire.

Unconvinced supporters of the Palestinians, however, have turned out in force to protest the alleged Israeli war crime. Video footage of the embassy in Amman showed demonstrators wielding Palestinian flags, blaring police sirens, as well as fires and clouds of smoke. It was unclear from video footage if they had attempted to enter the building.

The demonstrations have stretched beyond Jordan, however, and video has emerged of chaotic demonstrations in Istanbul and Beirut, including reports that authorities had used tear gas to disperse rowdy crowds in both countries. In Turkey, demonstrators appeared to break through barricades and attempt to enter the consulate.

🚨JUST IN: The Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, has been overrun after protesters broke through a police barricade.



Source: Voreposte pic.twitter.com/tpGADVnqNU

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 17, 2023

REPORTS: Police deploy tear gas to disperse protesters storming Israeli consulate in Istanbul pic.twitter.com/1mBclFrsyK

— RT (@RT_com) October 17, 2023

🇹🇷 Turkish protesters have reportedly broken through police barricades and are storming the Israeli Embassy in Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/ZBhVNPLsMn

— Ben Kew 🏌️‍♂️ (@ben_kew) October 17, 2023

Footage of the Beirut protest demonstration clearly shows demonstrators fleeing large clouds of what appears to be tear gas.

JUST IN: Chaos erupts at the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon after a rocket killed hundreds of people at a hospital in Gaza.



The Israeli Defense Force denies launching the rocket while others are blaming them.



Tear gas was fired at hundreds of protesters who gathered… pic.twitter.com/SEj1OH9xGA

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 17, 2023

The extent of any damage and the scope of the demonstrations remain somewhat unclear as of press time, though they may have already impacted diplomatic efforts to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Jordanian government on Tuesday cancelled a planned summit in Amman between President Joe Biden and middle eastern leaders amid the chaos.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.