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Coordinates: 31°30′18″N 34°27′42″E / 31.50500°N 34.46167°E / 31.50500; 34.46167
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According to ''[[The Economist]]'', "Some open-intelligence analysts posited that it happened when a Palestinian rocket exploded mid-air—perhaps intercepted by Israeli air-defence systems—and the warhead fell onto the hospital."{{who}}<ref>{{cite web |date=2023-10-17 |title=Joe Biden steers a risky course after a Gaza hospital blast |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/10/17/biden-steers-a-risky-course-in-the-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018011643/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/10/17/biden-steers-a-risky-course-in-the-israel-hamas-war |archive-date=2023-10-18 |access-date=18 October 2023 |website=The Economist |publisher=The Economist}}</ref> [[BBC Verify]] reported that while there is no overall consensus, one expert said that the specifics of the damage were not consistent with an Israeli air strike.<ref name="verify">{{cite news |title=Israel Gaza live news: Biden meets Netanyahu as Gaza hospital blast overshadows Israel visit |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=652f9a0e8ae7803bb6843c61%26How%20we%27re%20investigating%20the%20hospital%20explosion%262023-10-18T08%3A43%3A40.566Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:42b9b1fe-e5de-45a4-992f-07a8ec60de1a&pinned_post_asset_id=652f9a0e8ae7803bb6843c61&pinned_post_type=share |access-date=18 October 2023 |work=BBC News |language=en-gb}}</ref>
According to ''[[The Economist]]'', "Some open-intelligence analysts posited that it happened when a Palestinian rocket exploded mid-air—perhaps intercepted by Israeli air-defence systems—and the warhead fell onto the hospital."{{who}}<ref>{{cite web |date=2023-10-17 |title=Joe Biden steers a risky course after a Gaza hospital blast |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/10/17/biden-steers-a-risky-course-in-the-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018011643/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/10/17/biden-steers-a-risky-course-in-the-israel-hamas-war |archive-date=2023-10-18 |access-date=18 October 2023 |website=The Economist |publisher=The Economist}}</ref> [[BBC Verify]] reported that while there is no overall consensus, one expert said that the specifics of the damage were not consistent with an Israeli air strike.<ref name="verify">{{cite news |title=Israel Gaza live news: Biden meets Netanyahu as Gaza hospital blast overshadows Israel visit |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=652f9a0e8ae7803bb6843c61%26How%20we%27re%20investigating%20the%20hospital%20explosion%262023-10-18T08%3A43%3A40.566Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:42b9b1fe-e5de-45a4-992f-07a8ec60de1a&pinned_post_asset_id=652f9a0e8ae7803bb6843c61&pinned_post_type=share |access-date=18 October 2023 |work=BBC News |language=en-gb}}</ref>

According to [[The Guardian]] the scale of the blast appeared to be outside of the militant groups’ capabilitie.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/18/they-believed-it-was-safe-death-toll-rising-blast-gaza-hospital |title =‘They believed it was safe’: death toll rising after blast at Gaza hospital|publisher =[[The Guardian]]}} </ref>


According to independent OSINT groups and analysts interviewed by [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] from the initial evidence it was likely that the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket. GeoConfirmed a group of volunteer [[Geopositioning|Geolocators]] analyzed footage of the explosion from multiple different sources and claimed the “geolocation and timing of the footage is conclusive” but clarified it was only in a geolocation aspect. Evan Hill, who conducts OSINT investigations for the Washington Post also claimed that the initial evidence indicates a [[Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel|rocket misfire]].<ref name=":3">{{cite news |title=Hospital explosion likely caused by missile fired from inside Gaza, analysts claim |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/18/gaza-hospital-explosion-missile-palestine/ |access-date=18 October 2023 |work=The Telegraph |date=18 October 2023}}</ref>
According to independent OSINT groups and analysts interviewed by [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] from the initial evidence it was likely that the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket. GeoConfirmed a group of volunteer [[Geopositioning|Geolocators]] analyzed footage of the explosion from multiple different sources and claimed the “geolocation and timing of the footage is conclusive” but clarified it was only in a geolocation aspect. Evan Hill, who conducts OSINT investigations for the Washington Post also claimed that the initial evidence indicates a [[Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel|rocket misfire]].<ref name=":3">{{cite news |title=Hospital explosion likely caused by missile fired from inside Gaza, analysts claim |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/18/gaza-hospital-explosion-missile-palestine/ |access-date=18 October 2023 |work=The Telegraph |date=18 October 2023}}</ref>

Revision as of 10:43, 18 October 2023

al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Date17 October 2023
LocationGaza, Palestine
Coordinates31°30′18″N 34°27′42″E / 31.50500°N 34.46167°E / 31.50500; 34.46167
TypeDisputed (airstrike or misfired rocket)
Deaths200–500+;[1] Over 500[2]
Non-fatal injuries500+[3]
Accused Israel (claimed by Gaza Health Ministry,[1][4][a] denied by IDF)
File:Flag of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.svg Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Claimed by Israel,[5][6] denied by PIJ)[7]

On 17 October 2023, amid the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, an explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, where thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought shelter from airstrikes, caused an unprecedented number of deaths–more than any other single event in Gaza since the conflict between Gaza and Israel began in 2008. The number of fatalities is still uncertain, but is reported to be more than 500, most of them women and children.[2] The explosion was one of the deadliest attacks on a hospital in decades.[1]

The cause of the explosion is disputed. The Gaza Health Ministry said the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli Defense Forces denied this, saying that the explosion was caused by a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad targeting the Israeli city of Haifa. An Islamic Jihad spokesman denied responsibility. There is no expert consensus on whether the damage was caused by an Israeli air strike or a rocket fired from within Gaza. Observations by experts noted uncollapsed hospital buildings, some undamaged cars, and the absence of a deep crater, factors not typically consistent with an Israeli air strike.[8]

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari criticized media outlets for quickly disseminating what he termed as "unverified claims" by Hamas regarding the death toll. Hagari emphasized that it was implausible for Hamas to accurately determine the casualty figures so swiftly after the incident.[9]

Background

The hospital has been in operation since 1882.[10] It was founded by the Church of England's Church Mission Society and was later run as a medical mission by the Southern Baptist Conference between 1954 and 1982.[10] It returned to the Anglican Church in the 1980s.[10] It was funded mostly by the Episcopal Church and the European Union and operated as a nonsectarian hospital managed by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, which reported that it had about 80 beds, and was the only Christian hospital in the Gaza Strip.[11][12]

Thousands of people displaced by the evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip had sought shelter at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital to avoid Israeli airstrikes.[12] The hospital was damaged by Israeli rocket fire late on 14 October, leaving four staff members injured, according to a statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.[11][13] Before the rocket fire on 14 October, the hospital sheltered around 6,000 displaced persons; subsequently many of them fled, with around 1,000 remaining in the courtyard.[6]

On 16 October, Israel ordered at least 20 hospitals in Gaza, including the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, to evacuate.[14][15][16] Because of insufficient beds at hospitals already over capacity in the southern Gaza Strip and no means of transporting certain patients, such as newborns in incubators or patients on ventilators, the evacuation orders were widely regarded as impossible to comply with.[14][15][16][17]

Explosion and responsibility

The number of persons killed in the explosion, as well as the cause of the explosion, has not been independently verified.[7] The Gaza Health Ministry claim that at least 500 people were killed in the blast, and blamed an Israeli airstrike.[1][4] The director of the Al-Shifa Hospital reported that around 350 injured people were brought to his hospital by both ambulances and personal cars.[4]

The Israeli Defense Forces claim the cause of the blast was a misfired rocket targeting the Israeli city of Haifa and launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a Palestinian militant group allied with Hamas.[5][6] Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that intelligence indicated that PIJ had launched a barrage of rockets near the hospital, and shared drone-collected aerial photography that he said was inconsistent with Israeli munitions.[4] The IDF also claim that Israel intercepted discussions among militants saying that their misfired rocket caused the explosion. An Islamic Jihad spokesman denied responsibility.[7] On October 18, the IDF released drone footage purporting to show the hospital before and after the explosion. The annotated video showed burned vehicles in the hospital parking lot, and noted the apparent lack of a crater or significant structural damage to surrounding buildings. The IDF claimed that these attributes were inconsistent with the aftermath of Israeli munition strikes.[18]

Following the explosion, the official Israel Twitter account published a statement claiming that the attack was the result of an enemy rocket.[19][20][21] Attached to the tweet was footage, presumed to be proof of the rocket coming from Gaza.[22][20][19] However, Aric Toler, a journalist on the visual investigations teams of the The New York Times, noted that the listed timestamps on the video were at least 40 minutes after the explosion was known to have occurred.[20][19][1][23] Shortly after, the Israeli government Twitter account edited the tweet, removing the video from it.[1][23][20][19]

According to The Economist, "Some open-intelligence analysts posited that it happened when a Palestinian rocket exploded mid-air—perhaps intercepted by Israeli air-defence systems—and the warhead fell onto the hospital."[who?][24] BBC Verify reported that while there is no overall consensus, one expert said that the specifics of the damage were not consistent with an Israeli air strike.[8]

According to The Guardian the scale of the blast appeared to be outside of the militant groups’ capabilitie.[25]

According to independent OSINT groups and analysts interviewed by The Telegraph from the initial evidence it was likely that the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket. GeoConfirmed a group of volunteer Geolocators analyzed footage of the explosion from multiple different sources and claimed the “geolocation and timing of the footage is conclusive” but clarified it was only in a geolocation aspect. Evan Hill, who conducts OSINT investigations for the Washington Post also claimed that the initial evidence indicates a rocket misfire.[26]

Reactions

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following the deadly event and canceled a planned meeting with US President Joe Biden.[1][4] Biden stated that he was "outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion", but did not immediately attribute blame for the incident, stating instead that the US would investigate the event.[1][27] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the explosion as "horrible" and "unacceptable", but did not assign blame.[1] The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condemned the alleged attack.[1] The secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres, said that he was "horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital".[16] UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, condemned the "totally unacceptable" and "horrific" strike and demanded accountability.[28] Médecins Sans Frontières said it was "horrified" by the "Israeli bombing",[29] and called it a massacre.[30] The Red Cross was "shocked and horrified" by the reports.[6]

Hezbollah said the blast was an Israeli "massacre" and called for a "day of rage" on 18 October against Israel and Biden's pending visit to the Middle East.[31] Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey also condemned the alleged attack,[3][1][32] while Qatar condemned what they described as "a dangerous escalation".[3] Saudi Arabia condemned "the forces of the occupation"[33] for the alleged attack, which it described as a "heinous crime".[1][34] Russia and the UAE called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, said that the Middle East was "on the brink of falling into the abyss" amid fears that the conflict could escalate into a wider war involving other armed groups.[1] Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed a "harsh response" to what happened.[35]

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned Palestinian Islamic Jihad, writing, "Shame on the vile terrorists in Gaza who wilfully spill the blood of the innocent." Herzog said that accusations that Israel caused the blast were "a 21st-century blood libel."[36] On 16 October 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office published a post on X quoting Netanyahu's speech in the Knesset and saying, "This is a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle."[37][38] The post was deleted after the explosion at the Gaza hospital in the face of criticism for its language, which some called "genocidal".[39]

The explosion sparked protests in a number of countries, including Canada, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Yemen. In Ramallah and other cities in the West Bank, protestors chanted against Mahmoud Abbas and threw stones, leading to police using tear gas and stun grenades in an attempt to disperse protestors. Thousands of protestors marched outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul to protest against the war,[1] and in Jordan, protestors attempted to storm the Israeli embassy.[40] The US and French embassies in Beirut also faced protests aimed at their support for Israel.[1]

A quadrilateral summit between King Abdullah II, Mahmoud Abbas, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Joe Biden was canceled after Jordan annulled it and Abbas withdrew from it.[1][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ibrahim, Arwa; Siddiqui, Usaid; Mohamed, Edna; Hatuqa, Dalia; Stepansky, Joseph. "Hundreds of casualties as Israel hits Gaza hospital sheltering thousands". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Biden: Israël lijkt niet verantwoordelijk voor raketinslag Gazaans ziekenhuis" [Biden: Israel does not appear to be responsible for rocket attack on Gazan hospital]. NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Chao-Fong, Léonie; Belam, Martin; Sullivan, Helen (17 October 2023). "Israel-Hamas war live: at least 500 casualties in Gaza hospital strike, health ministry says". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Jobain, Nayib; Kullab, Samya; Nessman, Ravi; Lee, Matthew (17 October 2023). "After blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital, Hamas and Israel trade blame as rage spreads in region". AP News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b Fabian, Emanuel (17 October 2023). "IDF says assessment shows failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch caused Gaza hospital blast". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Israel Gaza live news: Hundreds killed in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital - Palestinian officials". BBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (17 October 2023). "Hundreds killed at Gaza hospital amid conflicting claims". Reuters. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Israel Gaza live news: Biden meets Netanyahu as Gaza hospital blast overshadows Israel visit". BBC News. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (18 October 2023). "IDF releases intercepted Hamas call on hospital explosion". Times of Israel.
  10. ^ a b c Paulsen, David (16 October 2023). "Anglican hospital among facilities struggling to respond to growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. ^ a b Boorstein, Michelle; Brasch, Ben. "Bombed Gaza hospital owned by a branch of the Anglican Communion". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  12. ^ a b Ackerman, Andrew (17 October 2023). "What We Know About the Gaza Hospital Blast". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Gaza hospitals are 'facing catastrophe', says Archbishop of Canterbury". The Archbishop of Canterbury. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  14. ^ a b Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle (17 October 2023). "Attack on Gaza hospital 'unprecedented' in scale, WHO says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  15. ^ a b Abdulrahim, Raja (15 October 2023). "Gaza's Hospitals Face 'Impossible' Choices With Israel Evacuation Order". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  16. ^ a b c "UN chief 'horrified' by strike on Gaza hospital, as warring sides blame each other | UN News". news.un.org. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  17. ^ Abdel-Baqui, Omar; Jones, Rory; AbdulKarim, Fatima (17 October 2023). "Blast at Gaza Hospital Kills More Than 500, Palestinian Officials Say". The Wall Street Journal. New York. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  18. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "IDF says lack of crater at hospital blast site proves it wasn't behind strike". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d Danner, Chas (17 October 2023). "Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Hundreds Dead After Blast at Gaza City Hospital". Intelligencer. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d Jackson, Jon (17 October 2023). "Deleted Israeli video adds to confusion around Gaza hospital blast". Newsweek. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  21. ^ @Israel (17 October 2023). "Breaking: IDF Spokesperson. From the analysis of the operational systems of the IDF, an enemy rocket barrage was carried out towards Israel, which passed through the vicinity of the hospital when it was hit. According to intelligence information, from several sources we have, the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed shooting that hit the hospital. [Video]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 17 October 2023 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ^ NIKKI MCCANN RAMIREZ. "Misinformation Runs Rampant in Aftermath of Gaza Hospital Attack". Rolling Stone.
  23. ^ a b "Blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital; Hamas and Israel trade blame". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Joe Biden steers a risky course after a Gaza hospital blast". The Economist. The Economist. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  25. ^ "'They believed it was safe': death toll rising after blast at Gaza hospital". The Guardian.
  26. ^ "Hospital explosion likely caused by missile fired from inside Gaza, analysts claim". The Telegraph. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Israel-Hamas War". The New York Times.
  28. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Gaza Hospital Strike 'Totally Unacceptable': UN Rights Chief". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  29. ^ MSF International (17 October 2023). "We are horrified by the recent Israeli bombing of Ahli Arab Hospital in #Gaza City, which was treating patients and hosting displaced Gazans. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed. This is a massacre. It is absolutely unacceptable..." Twitter. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023.
  30. ^ Médecins Sans Frontières (17 October 2023). "Médecins Sans Frontières response to the bombing of Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City". Reliefweb.
  31. ^ Ward, Euan (17 October 2023). "Israel-Hamas War". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  32. ^ Agency, Iraqi News. "Iraq strongly condemns the Zionist entity's bombing of a hospital in Gaza". Hatha Alyoum News. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  33. ^ Kingsley, Patrick; Boxerman, Aaron; Yazbek, Hiba (18 October 2023). "Hundreds Reported Killed in Blast at a Gaza Hospital". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  34. ^ "Saudi Arabia 'strongly condemns Israel's heinous crime' at Gaza hospital". Ynetnews. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  35. ^ "US-Israeli bombs' flames to soon devour Zionists: Raisi". Islamic Republic News Agency. 18 October 2023.
  36. ^ Berman, Lazar (17 October 2023). "Herzog says accusations Israel is behind Gaza hospital blast are 'blood libel'". The Times of Israel.
  37. ^ Sheth, Sonam. "Netanyahu deleted a post on X about a struggle against 'children of darkness' around the time of a tragic hospital explosion in Gaza". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  38. ^ "This is a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle". X. Prime Minister of Israel. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  39. ^ Ghosh, Poulomi (18 October 2023). "Netanyahu deletes 'children of darkness' post after Gaza hospital attacked". Hindustan Times.
  40. ^ "Protesters attempt to storm Israeli embassy in Jordan". The Independent. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  1. ^ The Gaza Health Ministry is run by the Hamas administration on the Gaza Strip
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