A Palestinian man injured during an air strike is wheeled into the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis on the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 17, 2023. / Credit: SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 17, 2023 / 17:18 pm (CNA).
Officials linked to Hamas claimed that an Israeli airstrike killed hundreds of people at a Palestinian hospital on Tuesday, while the Israeli government said a terrorist group was responsible for the destruction.
News reports on Tuesday said Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist hospital had been hit with a strike that killed as many as 500. The Associated Press cited the “Health Ministry run by Hamas” for that figure.
Hamas claimed the Tuesday attack was “a horrific massacre” carried out by Israel. Unverified videos circulated on social media on Tuesday purportedly showing the strike.
Israel, meanwhile, responded on its official state Twitter account by blaming regional Palestinian militants for the strike.
“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,” Israel said.
“According to intelligence information, from several sources we have, the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed shooting that hit the hospital,” the Twitter account said.
The actual origin of the missile strike was unclear as of late Tuesday afternoon. The Palestinians “are falsely claiming Israel targeted a hospital in the Gaza Strip,” Israel said in a followup tweet.
Reports indicated the death toll in Israel on Tuesday stood at around 1,400, while Gaza had suffered approximately 3,000 casualties since the war began earlier this month.