A massive blast in a Gaza City hospital killed hundreds of people on Tuesday, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.
Hamas has blamed an Israeli attack for the tragedy, which the Israeli military has, in turn, blamed on a missile fired by other Palestinian militants.
Attack on Gaza Hospital
Gaza, which is home to 2.2 million people, has been under siege by Israel for more than a week in response to Hamas’ deadly attacks.
The explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City has killed hundreds of patients, as reported by health officials.
Images taken from the hospital on Tuesday night show scenes of chaos, with bleeding and disfigured victims being taken out on stretchers in the dark. Outside, bodies and ruined cars can be seen lying in the rubble-strewn street.
Based on preliminary estimates, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 200 to 300 individuals were killed in the incident. However, according to Hamas, which controls the enclave, the bombing has killed more than 500 people.
Around 350 victims of the al-Ahli explosion were taken to Gaza City’s main hospital, al-Shifa, which was already overflowing with patients injured in prior attacks, says Mohammed Abu Selmia, the hospital’s director.
Israel, Hamas Trade Blame
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza claimed that hundreds of Palestinians, who had been forcibly evacuated, were housed at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the centre of Gaza City.
Israel blamed the incident on a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed organisation, a smaller, more extremist Palestinian terrorist group that often works with Hamas.
A failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization hit the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 18, 2023
IAF footage from the area around the hospital before and after the failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization: pic.twitter.com/AvCAkQULAf
Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the “attack” on “barbaric terrorists in Gaza.” “Whoever brutally murdered our children is also murdering their children,” he claimed.
According to the military, PIJ terrorists fired a series of rockets near the hospital, and “intelligence from multiple sources” indicated the group was responsible for the attack.
In a press conference, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a senior army spokesperson, said the army found there were no air force, ground, or naval strikes in the area at the time of the incident.
Furthermore, Hagari said that radar recorded outgoing rocket fire at the same time, and that intercepted communication between terrorist groups revealed that PIJ fired the missiles.
The Israeli Army spox. also revealed aerial footage captured by a military drone of a detonation that he said was inconsistent with Israeli weaponry.
However, the PIJ has denied the allegation.
PIJ said in a statement, “The Zionist enemy is trying hard to evade its responsibility for the brutal massacre [Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu] committed by bombing the Baptist Arab National Hospital in Gaza through his usual fabrication of lies, and through pointing the finger of blame at the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine.”
Meeting between US President Joe Biden and Arab leaders cancelled after Gaza hospital explosion
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 18, 2023
Live updates ⬇️
Biden Condemns Attack; Jordan Visit Cancelled
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he was “outraged” by the explosion at a Gaza hospital, which killed around 500 people, and that he has asked his national security team to investigate.
“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” said Biden, who is visiting Israel.
Biden stated, “The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.”
Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, confirmed that a meeting that was to be held with US President Biden and Egyptian and Palestinian officials to address the situation in Gaza had been cancelled.
Safadi said that the meeting would take place when the parties could agree to put an end to the “war and the massacres against Palestinians,” blaming Israel for bringing the region to “the brink of abyss” with its military operation.