1 of 6 | Palestinians in the West Bank protest against what they believed to be an Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday. Israel said it is investigating the explosion and that it could have been caused by an errant Hamas rocket launch. Photo by Alaa Badarneh/EPA-EFE
Oct. 17 (UPI) — Local reports suggest that explosions have devastated Gaza’s Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, a shelter for thousands of civilians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants. The incident is estimated to have caused hundreds of deaths, leaving many fearing for the lives of those who sought refuge at the hospital.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has cancelled his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in the wake of the blast. Abbas is returning to Ramallah and has called for an urgent meeting of the Palestinian leadership on Tuesday night, according to Palestinian officials.
“The Al-Ahli Hospital massacre in the heart of the Gaza Strip is a genocide. Enough silence on the aggression and recklessness of the occupation,” said Hamas in a statement reported by CNN.
In addition, Palestinian officials report that over 3,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the attack by Hamas on October 7. This attack resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 Israelis and the kidnapping of several Israeli citizens. The death toll in the West Bank currently stands at 61.
Sky News reports that the spokesperson for Gaza’s Ministry of Health estimates the death toll in the hospital bombing to be in the hundreds. “Initial estimates indicate that between 200 and 300 martyrs were killed in the bombing that targeted Baptist Hospital in Gaza City,” stated the spokesperson.
The Israeli Defense Forces have stated that the hospital blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by Hamas, not IDF weapons, according to an unnamed spokesperson. Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN that the IDF does not target hospitals.
Unconfirmed images and videos shared by local media show dead and injured people in the aftermath of the strike. CNN also reports that the Ministry of Health in Gaza suggests that hundreds of people are likely to have been killed. The Ministry of Health has stated that the death toll in the hospital strike exceeds 500 people, leading to Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas declaring three days of mourning.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has confirmed that another attack took place, this time targeting a school under its supervision in Gaza, resulting in six deaths. “No place is safe in Gaza anymore, not even U.N. facilities,” expressed the UNRWA in a statement posted on X.
In separate news, the Israeli military has released footage of a bombing attack that killed senior Hamas leader Ayman Nofal. Hamas has confirmed Nofal’s death.
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