A strike on a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of Palestinians,
deepening tensions in the Middle East and raising the stakes for U.S. President
Joe Biden as he flies to Israel on Wednesday to signal support for its war
against Hamas.
Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the
hospital, with the Palestinian Authority’s health minister accusing Israel of
causing a “massacre”.
Israel blamed the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital on a
failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied
responsibility.
Reuters could not independently verify the claims around the
catastrophe, which has inflamed a region already in crisis since Hamas carried
out an Oct. 7 cross-border rampage against communities in southern Israel in
which at least 1,300 people died.
Palestinian ministry spokesperson, Ashraf Al-Qudra said
rescuers were still pulling bodies from the rubble.
Al Jazeera carried footage showing a frantic scene as rescue
workers scoured blood-stained debris for survivors.
Rescuers and civilians were shown carrying away at least
four victims in body bags.
A Gaza civil defence chief gave a death toll of 300, while health
ministry sources put it at 500.
Biden’s complex diplomatic mission to the Middle East was
supposed to calm the region and shore up humanitarian efforts for Gaza.
However, after the strike, Jordan cancelled a planned summit
with the U.S. president, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Abbas also cancelled plans to meet Biden, as Palestinian
security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse anti-government
protesters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah as popular anger boiled.
Protests also took place at Israel’s embassies in Turkey and
Jordan and near the U.S. embassy in Lebanon, where security forces fired tear
gas toward demonstrators.
Before the hospital strike, health authorities in Gaza said
at least 3,000 people had died in Israel’s 11-day bombardment that began after
the Hamas assault, which caught Israel by surprise and led to nearly 200 people
being taken to Gaza as hostages.
The Israeli military urged Gaza City residents to relocate
southward on Wednesday, saying there was a “humanitarian zone” with aid
available in Al-Mawasi, 28 km (17 miles) down the coast of the Palestinian
enclave.
“The IDF calls on #GazaCity residents to evacuate south for
their protection,” said a social-media post by the military.
Speaking to reporters as Biden flew to Tel Aviv, White House
national security spokesperson John Kirby said Biden would put “tough
questions” to Israeli leaders but did not give details.
Biden will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and the Israeli war cabinet seeking to get a sense of Israel’s plans and aims,
Kirby said.
“He also aims to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, where
millions of Palestinians are surviving with scant food, fuel and water due to
Israel’s siege.
“He’ll be asking some tough questions, he’ll be asking them
as a friend, as a true friend of Israel, but he’ll be asking some questions of
them,” Kirby said.
It was unclear what Biden could accomplish during his visit.
Kirby said the U.S. president planned to speak with Abbas and Sisi on his way
back to Washington.
“This sort of murky but horrific event makes diplomacy
harder and increases escalation risks,” said Richard Gowan, UN director at
International Crisis Group.
Biden has previously said the United States does not want
the conflict to flare up into a wider war.
Iran, which supports Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Lebanon-based
Islamist group Hezbollah have warned Israel of escalation if it fails to end
aggressions against Palestinians.
The U.S. State Department told Americans not to travel to
Lebanon after exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon’s
south.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he
was “horrified” by hundreds of people killed in Tuesday’s strike on the
hospital.
Guterres appealed to Hamas for the immediate and
unconditional release of hostages, and to Israel to allow immediate
unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for Gaza. (Reuters/NAN)
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