More than 500 people were killed in a massive explosion at a hospital in Gaza City Tuesday, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said, blaming Israeli airstrikes for the massacre – as the Israel Defense Forces insisted the bloodshed was caused by a failed Hamas rocket.
The attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital marked the deadliest single incident since the outbreak of war – and came just hours before President Biden was expected to visit Israel in a show of support.
Hamas called the explosion a “horrible massacre,” saying it was caused by an Israeli attack. Gaza authorities said 500 were killed, adding that the blasts killed mostly displaced people.
Israeli officials, however, denied reports from Hamas, claiming the hospital was not hit by an IDF airstrike, but was instead the victim of a damaged rocket fired by the terrorist group.
“An enemy rocket attack was directed at Israel, which was passing around the hospital, when it was hit,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
“According to the intelligence information, from several sources we have, the GAP organization is responsible for the failure of the shooting that hit the hospital.”
As governments blamed each other for the bloodiest day since the war broke out on October 7, harrowing images from hospitals showed scores of women and children injured in the strike.
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital was hit by a bomb Tuesday, killing more than 500 people, Gaza officials said. Telegram blast victims were taken to Al-Shifa hospital. AP First responders rushed to the scene of the burning hospital following the explosion.Telegram
Other pictures show emergency workers carrying survivors, mostly children, as they work to clear the area where the hospital once stood.
Most of the bodies recovered from the hospital were taken to the nearby Al Shifa Hospital as officials tried to identify the bodies.
The bombing occurred hours before President Biden left the US for Israel, where he will visit Tel Aviv on Wednesday to discuss the importance of America and its allies in supporting Israel in its fight against Hamas.
The 80-year-old commander-in-chief’s visit was supposed to include a stop in Amman, Jordan, but the country’s government canceled Wednesday’s meeting between Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Reuters.
Abbas said he would not attend after the deadly hospital attack in Gaza City.
“After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his trip to Jordan and his planned meeting with both these leaders and President Sisi of Egypt,” White House said in a statement.
“The President expressed his deepest condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He looks forward to consulting personally with these leaders soon, and has agreed to remain on a regular basis and engage directly with each of them in the coming days.”
Although the Israeli army has warned Gaza hospitals to vacate the land, medics refuse to budge, stating that it is impossible to move many patients as doctors confirm their choice to stay and treat the wounded.
The destruction of the hospital came as the United Nations also blamed Israeli airstrikes for hitting one of the schools used to protect civilians.
Bodies lay on the ground of the destroyed hospital as officials said more were buried in the rubble.Telegram Rescue workers transported an injured child who was among those taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.AP
The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said at least six people were killed in the attack, with dozens more wounded.
The UN stated that the bombing also caused “severe structural damage” to the school building, which houses at least 4,000 civilians.
“They have and still have nowhere else to go,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.
Bloodied Palestinian civilians wounded in airstrikes were taken to other hospitals Tuesday.AP The destruction comes as Israel redoubles its offensive against Hamas, which governs Gaza, following the terror group’s surprise incursion on October 7 that killed more than 1,300 people in Israel.AFP via Getty Images
The destruction comes as Israel redoubles its offensive against Hamas, which governs Gaza, following the terror group’s surprise incursion on October 7 that killed more than 1,300 people in Israel.
Now 11 days after the Israeli counterattack, health officials say at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Israeli officials have vowed to destroy Hamas in an expected ground attack on Gaza, with IDF soldiers also looking to rescue more than 150 taken hostage by Hamas.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
