What we know so far about the deadly strike on a Gaza hospital


Palestinian officials say at least 500 people were killed in an Israeli air raid on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.


A hospital in Gaza, called Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, was hit in an air attack by Israel. Palestinian officials say about 500 people have been killed in this incident.


The health ministry in Gaza says Israel is responsible for the explosion, but Israel claims it was a rocket misfired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group. The PIJ denies this.

gaza hospital strike


Here's what we know so far about the attack:


1. Many people died: The health ministry in Gaza reports that at least 500 people died in this incident. This is the highest number of deaths in a single event during the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.


2. The hospital was hit while it was full of people seeking shelter from Israeli air attacks in Gaza. Many of those killed were displaced people.


How has the world reacted?

World leaders have denounced the bombing, with leaders from across the Middle East issuing the firmest statements.


Protests have also erupted across the Middle East, including in Jordan and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank where Palestinian protests have confronted the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.


Jordan has cancelled a planned summit in the capital of Amman with United States President Joe Biden and Arab leaders.


Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the meeting would be held at a time when all present could agree to work towards ending the “war and the massacres against Palestinians”.


Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who had also been slated to attend the summit, said he condemned “in the strongest possible terms Israel’s bombardment” of the Gaza hospital.


Saudi Arabia also issued a firm statement, condemning “in the strongest possible terms the heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces by bombing Al Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza”.

Western leaders did not blame Israel for the strike, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying in a social media post that “nothing can justify a strike against a hospital” and adding that “all the light must be shed on the circumstances”.


Biden in a statement offered “deepest condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza”.


Western leaders did not directly blame Israel but said such an attack on a hospital should never happen.


Israel says that the hospital was hit by a rocket fired by the PIJ. They claim it was an accident, and the rocket passed close to the hospital but didn't directly hit it.


The PIJ denies this and accuses Israel of trying to avoid responsibility for the attack.


Some people have questioned Israel's version of events, noting that in the past, Israel has falsely blamed Palestinian groups for actions carried out by its own forces.