class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
Since October 7, more than 3,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in the Middle East. Another 12,500 were injured. Since then, many civilians have sought protection in the approximately twenty hospitals in the Gaza Strip. These were previously considered places of refuge from the coastal enclave under Israeli fire. But on Tuesday evening there was an explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital.
What happened?
There were thousands of refugees and injured people at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday. Around 7 p.m. it was reported that an explosion had occurred. At least 500 people have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Authority. Many more were injured.
How does Gaza respond?
The Palestinian side blamed Israel for the attack on the hospital. Mai Alkaila, the Palestinian health minister, accused Israel of committing a “massacre.” Palestinian President Mahmus Abbas has declared three days of national mourning after the hospital accident. Since October 7, there have been more than 115 attacks on the Palestinian healthcare system. 51 of these took place in the Gaza Strip, the rest in the West Bank.
Why was Israel blamed?
Hananya Naftali is a prominent Israeli influencer – and a close acquaintance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (73). At Naftali’s wedding, the Prime Minister said: “He works for me. I tell you what he does, he produces content for me.”
Shortly after the hospital accident, Naftali fueled speculation that Israel was carrying out an attack. About X he wrote: “The Israeli Air Force attacked a Hamas terrorist base in a hospital in Gaza. Several terrorists are dead.” A short time later, he took down the post again. This was followed by a statement in which he apologized for his “false statement”. He writes: “Since the Israeli army does not bomb hospitals, I assumed that Israel was targeted one of the Hamas bases in Gaza.”
Due to, among other things, Nafali’s original post and the continued bombing of the Gaza Strip by Israel, media companies around the world initially assumed an attack by Israel.
What does Israel say?
Israel, however, strongly denies the accusations. Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The barbaric terrorists in Gaza are the ones who attacked the hospital, not the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).” Military spokesman Daniel Hagari also said in a video message: “The information we have indicates that Islamic jihadists are responsible.” The military says an Islamic Jihad rocket misfired and then hit the hospital parking lot.
What evidence does Israel have?
The IDF shared videos showing a rocket being fired from Gaza and failing. A few seconds later, an explosion is seen in the hospital. The military also shared satellite images of the destroyed parking lot. According to the army, there would have been a crater if it had been an Israeli missile. Instead, the destruction could be explained by a large amount of rocket fuel. Hagari said on Wednesday: “The fuel caused a bigger explosion than the warhead itself.” That’s why vehicles caught fire.
The IDF also published a telephone conversation between two suspected Hamas members. According to Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, the military intercepted the conversation. In the audio recordings, one of the members says: “This is the first time we have seen such a rocket this fall. We think it belongs to Islamic Jihad.” He goes on to say that the shrapnel was not due to the Israeli army and that they had fired the rocket “from the cemetery behind the hospital.”
What does Islamic Jihad say?
The Palestinian group rejects Israel’s accusations: “As usual, the Zionist enemy is trying to avoid responsibility for the brutal massacre he committed by inventing lies.” The terror group further says that the accusations are “false and baseless” and that Israel “uses these lies to justify its attacks on hospitals.” The group says an Israeli military plane dropped a bomb, but without providing any concrete evidence.
How does the world react?
In Lebanon, Hezbollah called for a “day of terror.” She called on people to bomb Tel Aviv. There were numerous protests. Protesters also marched through the streets in Iran and Turkey. Iran blames its arch-enemy Israel for the attack. Saudi Arabia also shares this view. The foreign minister condemns Israel for the “heinous crime”.
However, US President Joe Biden is on Israel’s side. He said on Wednesday: “From what I saw, it looks like it was done by the other team, not Israel. But there are a lot of people who aren’t sure.”
French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron (45) wrote via X: “Nothing can justify an attack on a hospital. France condemns the attack on the hospital in Gaza.” He also demanded that the “circumstances be extensively investigated.” The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs also demands this. The agency writes via must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
