10-18-2023, 08:42 AM
Hundreds killed in Gaza hospital blast, biggest West Bank massacre in latest Israeli-Hamas conflict
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ABOUT 500 Palestinians were killed in a blast at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday that Palestinian health authorities said was caused by an Israeli air strike but that the Israeli military blamed on a failed rocket launch by a Palestinian militant group.
The blast was the bloodiest single incident in Gaza since Israel launched an unrelenting bombing campaign against the densely populated territory in retaliation for a deadly cross-border Hamas assault on southern Israeli communities on Oct 7.
It took place on the eve of a visit by US President Joe Biden to Israel to show support for the country in its war with Hamas – the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip – and to hear how Israel plans to minimise civilian casualties.
Reuters could not independently verify who was responsible for the blast.
The Health Minister in the Hamas-run government of Gaza, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of a massacre. A Gaza civil defence chief said 300 people were killed while a Health Ministry official said 500 were killed.
Prior to Tuesday’s incident, health authorities in Gaza said at least 3,000 people had been killed in Israel’s 11-day bombardment that began after Hamas militants rampaged into Israeli towns and kibbutzes on Oct 7, killing more than 1,300 people, mainly civilians.
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