A blast tore through a Gaza hospital, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people on Tuesday evening, sparking global condemnation and leading to violent protests in several Muslim nations.
Israel and Palestinians exchanged blame for the incident, which elicited a denunciation from US President Joe Biden, who expressed his outrage and sadness while en route to the Middle East.
According to health authorities in Gaza, the explosion at the Ahli Arab Hospital claimed the lives of between 200 and 300 people, attributing it to the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes. However, Hamas claimed 500 casualties in a statement.
Israeli Defense Forces placed blame on Palestinian militants, suggesting that an outgoing Islamic Jihad rocket had misfired. Neither account could be independently verified.
On the ground in Gaza, scenes of chaos unfolded as the injured and deceased were transported to nearby medical centers. The floors of these facilities were lined with scores of bodies covered in blood-stained sheets and white plastic wrap, while distraught relatives attempted to identify their loved ones.
Ghassan Abu Sittah, a doctor with the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), described the harrowing event: “We were operating in the hospital. There was a strong explosion, and the ceiling fell on the operating room. Hospitals are not a target. This bloodshed must stop. Enough is enough.”
Over the course of 11 days, Israel had launched devastating strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza in retaliation for the killing of 1,400 Israelis during cross-border raids on October 7.
Even amidst uncertainty regarding the cause of the incident at the Christian-run hospital, it prompted rapid and widespread international condemnation. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed the need to establish responsibility for the tragedy and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Across the Muslim world, from Tripoli to Tehran, there were furious responses, with protestors in Jordan attempting to storm the Israeli embassy, and demonstrations in Lebanon leading to clashes with security forces outside the US embassy.
Hezbollah, Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed armed militant group and political party, called for a “day of rage.”
The Ahli Arab Hospital’s tragic events and the swift international backlash risked derailing Biden’s high-stakes visit to the Middle East, leading to the cancellation of a four-way summit in Amman with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The US president’s visit to Israel was expected to proceed, with a focus on expressing solidarity with Israelis over the Hamas attacks.
The situation in the region remained critical, with ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure the release of at least 199 hostages taken by Hamas. Turkey was engaged in talks with Hamas to facilitate their release.
Amid the escalating conflict, Washington sought to minimize the humanitarian impact of Israel’s military response and prevent the conflict from spreading to other areas. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “defeat Hamas,” though the precise military objectives remained unclear.