Gaza hospital blast triggers Israel-Palestine blame-game; PM Modi says ‘deeply shocked’ | 11 points we know so far

The news also sparked protests across the world, with Jordan, Syria and Turkey condemning the attack. Both Hamas and Israel Defence Forces have blamed each other for the blast, with Hamas blaming it on an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired by other Palestinian militants.

As US President Joe Biden is set to visit Tel Aviv today, here’s all we know about the hospital attack so far.

1. 01

   What happened?

   A huge explosion at a packed hospital in Gaza City has killed hundreds of people, including many who were wounded in previous Israeli retaliatory airstrikes for the Hamas attack on October 7, said Gaza's Health Ministry. Several Gazans displaced by the ongoing conflict and taking shelter at the medical facility are said to be among those killed.

   Video footage showed the blast eating up the hospital building and its premises dotted with bodies, including that of children, with their limbs severed, reported The Associated Press. 

   Hundreds of people were killed by an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday night where thousands of civilians had been sheltering, a loss of life that ignited protests across the Arab world. https://t.co/aEFr0VYGvy pic.twitter.com/5ZAzKfWW57

   — The New York Times (@nytimes) October 17, 2023

2. 02

   What we know of the hospital

   The al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, also known as Baptist Arab National Hospital, is located in central Gaza, as per a report in Al Jazeera. It is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. "The hospital was housing hundreds of sick and wounded, and people forcibly displaced from their homes," the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.

   Hundreds of people were killed by an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday. Palestinian officials said the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike, while Israeli officials blamed a malfunctioning rocket launched by a Palestinian armed group. https://t.co/mzxrWeGusG pic.twitter.com/15itQknbA0

   — The New York Times (@nytimes) October 17, 2023

   Hospitals in Gaza act as a sanctuary for tens of thousands of people affected by the continous Israeli airstrike, with people crowding in the courtyards and corridors of such medical facilities which were believed to be safe havens from the strikes.

3. 03

   How many people were killed?

   As per initial estimates, around 500 people have perished in the blaze, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. They added that several more are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

   An Associated Press report said that around 350 casualties were moved to al-Shifa, the main hospital in Gaza City. Al-Shifa's director Mohammed Abu Selmia said that the hospital was overwhelmed and running low on supplies, including fuel for its generators.

   Watch: A number of Palestinians, including children and women, were wounded in a bloody massacre on al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, killing 500. #Gazagenocide #PalestineGenocide #FreePalestine #Palestine #Israel #GazaAttack pic.twitter.com/va9G33xR2o

   — Wafa News Agency - English (@WAFANewsEnglish) October 17, 2023

   "We need equipment, we need medicine, we need beds, we need anesthesia, we need everything," Abu Selmia said, as per the report.

4. 04

   Who is responsible for the blast?

   Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for the blast. Hamas called Tuesday’s hospital blast "a horrific massacre" caused by an Israeli strike.

   Meanwhile, the Jewish nation blamed it on a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, though the latter denied the allegation. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put the blame for the hospital blast squarely on the "barbaric terrorists in Gaza."

   The entire world should know: It was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF.

   Those who brutally murdered our children also murder their own children.

   — Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 17, 2023

    

5. 05

   Why is Israel blaming Palestine?

   In a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), Israel said that an analysis by the Israel Defence Force's operational systems showed that a barrage of rockets was launched toward their country, which passed in the vicinity of the hospital when the medical facility was hit. "According to intelligence information from a number of sources we have, Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed rocket launch that hit the hospital," it said.

   RAW FOOTAGE: A rocket aimed at Israel misfired and exploded at 18:59—the same moment a hospital was hit in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Kf5xJazSap

   — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2023

   Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that though the IDF did have an Israeli Air Force operation in the area around the same time, it was "with a different kind of ammunition that does not … fit the footage that we have [of] the hospital," as per an Al Jazeera report. He claimed that the explosion occurred in the building's parking lot and that the death toll has not been independently verified.

   It later said that there was no evidence of a direct hit on the hospital in the form of structural damage to surrounding buildings or craters consistent with an air strike. A military spokesperson alleged that Hamas is inflating the number of casualties from the explosion and said it could not know as quickly as it claimed what caused the blast.

6. 06

   What is Palestine saying?

   The Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila has accused Israel of carrying out "a massacre."

   Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, rejected Netanyahu's accusation. "He is a liar. His digital spokesperson tweeted that Israel did the hit thinking that there was a base for Hamas around this hospital, and then he deleted that tweet. We have a copy of that tweet... Now they changed the story to try to blame the Palestinians. The Israeli spokesperson of the Army made a statement in which he said evacuate the hospitals...Their intention is to evacuate or hospitals will be hit and they are responsible for that crime and they cannot fabricate stories to deal with it," Mansour said.

   #WATCH | On Israeli PM Netanyahu's statement that Islamic Jihad is responsible for the Gaza hospital attack, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour says "He is a liar. His digital spokesperson tweeted that Israel did the hit thinking that there was a base for Hamas… pic.twitter.com/Tqs19lc2VD

   — ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2023

7. 07

   What is Islamic Jihad group's stance?

   The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has denied Israel's allegations and accused Israel of fabricating "lies" to evade responsibility for the attacks.

   Palestinians wounded during Israeli bombardment are brought to a hospital in Deir al-Balah, southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP)

   “The Zionist enemy is trying hard to evade its responsibility for the brutal massacre he 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,” it said in a statement, as per an Al Jazeera report.

   “We therefore affirm that the accusations put forward by the enemy are false and baseless,” it added.

8. 08

   UN Ambassador condemns attack on hospital

   UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who had called for de-escalation of hostilities by both Israel and Palestine since last week, condemned the attack.

   "I am horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn. My heart is with the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law," he said in a statement.

   Humanitarian aid organisation International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "shocked and horrified" by the attack, adding that no patient or doctor should be killed in a hospital. "International humanitarian law is clear. Civilians - Medical professionals - Hospitals - Ambulances - Clinics. All are protected under the law of war," it said in a statement.

   International humanitarian law is clear

   Civilians - Medical professionals - Hospitals - Ambulances - Clinics

   All are protected under the law of war. pic.twitter.com/EyeMZzdp3z

   — ICRC (@ICRC) October 17, 2023

9. 09

   Impact on Joe Biden's Israel visit

   The devastating attack came hours before US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, after 31 Americans were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack. Several American citizens are believed to be among the 199 people being held hostage by the Gazan militant group, and Washington has publicly pledged logistical support and military supplies to their close ally.

   Hours after the attack, Jordon cancelled a four-way summit that was to be held with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Biden in Amman on October 18.

   The White House said in a statement that Biden has postponed the planned trip to Jordon but "looks forward to consulting in person with these leaders soon."

   Biden also expressed outrage and sadness at the attack. "I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted. Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened. 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," he said in a statement.

10. 10

    How the rest of the world reacted

    Protests broke out in different parts of the world as outrage over the killing of civilians and the attack on the medical facility spread across borders.

    In the West Bank, hundreds of Palestinians flooded the streets of major cities in protest. In Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, protesters hurled stones at Palestinian security forces who fired back with stun grenades, reported the Associated Press. Quoting West Bank authorities, the report said that one Palestinian was killed by Israeli soldiers after protesters threw stones at Israeli checkpoints.

    People gather outside the Israeli consulate during a protest to show solidarity with Palestinians, in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP)

    Protests also erupted in Istanbul, Beirut, Iraq and Amman. Videos on social media showed angry mobs marching towards the Israeli embassy in Beirut and Jordanians storming the one in Amman.

11. 11

    What next?

    Ever since the Hamas attack earlier this month which killed around 1,400 Israelis, the Israeli military has been conducting continuous airstrikes at what it described as Hamas-related targets in Gaza City. More than 2,700 Gazans have been killed in the fighting, of which nearly two-thirds were children, as per the local health ministry.

    Israel is expected to launch a ground attack on the Palestinian enclave, but the plans for the same have been complicated by the over 200 Israeli soldiers, civilians, and foreigners who are being held hostage by Hamas. Israel has amassed tens of thousands of troops along the Gazan border, with over 3.5 lakh of reservists being called up for active duty in the past week. "We are preparing for the next stages of war," military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said, as per the Associated Press. "We haven’t said what they will be. Everybody’s talking about a ground offensive. It might be something different."