Israel-Hamas war latest: ‘At least 500 killed’ in strike on Gaza hospital as IDF denies blame

Hundreds are said to have died in an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City, with Palestinian authorities blaming an Israeli air strike.

The Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip was rocked by an explosion on Tuesday, with a spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry saying at least 500 had been killed.

However, the Israeli military said its intelligence shows the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group is responsible, blaming the alleged faulty launch of a rocket intended to hit Israel.

The tragedy occurred the same day as US president Joe Biden set off for a visit to Israel and other regional partners.

The White House announced on Tuesday it canceled a planned stop in Jordan, where the president was set to meet with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, along with King Abdullah of Jordan and Egyptian President Sisi.

The PA leader said following the hospital explosion he was calling for three days of mourning and returning to the West Bank.

Key Points

• Hundreds killed in Anglican hospital blast in Gaza

• Israel may release raw intelligence backing its claims it wasn’t involved in hospital attack

• Israel Defence Forces say Islamic Jihad terror group responsible for hospital strike

• Six killed in school doubling as shelter for displaced Gaza families

Biden: Strike on hospital carried out by ‘other team’

10:01 , Tom Watling

President Joe Biden told Benjamin Netanyahu that it appears that the explosion at a Gaza hospital was done “by the other team”, Rachel Sharp reports.

Speaking alongside the Israeli Prime Minister in Tel Aviv, he said that he was “deeply outraged and saddened” by the incident, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths.

“I’m deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we have to overcome a lot of things,” he said.

Israel has blamed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for the hospital attack. The PIJ has denied involvement while Hamas has blamed Israel.

He added: “We have to also bear in mind that Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people, and has brought them only suffering.”

Cleverly says ‘too many jumped to conclusions’ about Gaza explosion

10:40 , Tom Watling

James Cleverly has said that “too many jumped to conclusions” about the explosion in a Gaza hospital that may have killed hundreds of people.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the UK foreign secretary said: “Last night, too many jumped to conclusions around the tragic loss of life at Al Ahli hospital.

“Getting this wrong would put even more lives at risk. Wait for the facts, report them clearly and accurately. Cool heads must prevail.”

IDF posts alleged audio of Hamas militants discussing failed strike

10:18 , Tom Watling

The Israeli Defence Forces have published an audio clip allegedly between two Hamas militants suggesting that a misfired rocket was responsible for the hospital explosion in Gaza.

Some more footage from the aftermath of an explosion in Gaza

10:10 , Tom Watling

Some more footage is posted below appearing to show the aftermath of an explosion in the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital.

Up to 500 people are feared dead in the explosion, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

‘Honest broker’ needed to end violence, says SNP leader

10:06 , Matt Mathers

SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf called for an independent investigation into the bombing of a Gaza hospital, calling it a “complete and utter human tragedy”, Adam Forrest reports.

Scotland’s first minister told BBC Breakfast there needs to be an “honest broker” in the Middle East to end the “perpetual cycle of violence” and secure peace between Israel and Palestine.

Mr Yousaf also said that his family were “just torn apart with worry” as his wife’s parents – still stuck in Gaza – struggle with low supplies.

He added: “Yesterday an Israeli missile hit a house across the road from my mother-in-law and father-in-law’s house and it shattered every window... broke all the mirrors and gave them a real fright. And so my mother-in-law told me she just didn’t sleep a wink last night with worry.”

Hamas committed ‘evil atrocities'

10:00 , Matt Mathers

Biden says Hamas has “committed evil atrocities that make Isis look somewhat rational”, Chris Stevenson reports.

“We have to also bear in mind that Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people, and has brought them only suffering,” he added.

“I’m deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we have to overcome a lot of things.”

Netanyahu thanks US for support

09:51 , Matt Mathers

Netanyahu thanks the US for its support during these “trying times”. Chris Stephenson reports:

He said:"I want to thank you for coming here today and for the unequivocal support you have given Israel during these trying times. The support that reflects the overwhelming will of the American people.

“I’ve seen your support every day and the depth and breadth of cooperation that we have had since the beginning, a level of cooperation that is truly unprecedented in the history of the great alliance between our two nations.

"We see that support and your steadfast commitment to provide Israel with the tools we need to defend ourselves. We see that support in the clear message you send our enemies not to test our resolve, and in the two American carrier battle groups that you send to the region to back up those words, with action but above all, Mr. President, the world sees that support and the moral clarity that you have demonstrated from the moment Israel was attacked.

“You rightly drew a clear line between the forces of civilization the forces of barbarism and describe what commands do a sheer evil."

Breaking: US warns Americans ‘do not travel’ to Lebanon as Beirut embassy is set on fire

09:46 , Matt Mathers

The US has warned Americans not to travel to Lebanon after the Beirut was embassy set on fire.

Family members of US government personnel and non-essential embassy staff were allowed to leave Lebanon after the embassy in Beirut was targeted by protestors who started a fire at the complex.

Martha McHardy reports:

US warns Americans ‘do not travel’ to Lebanon as Beirut embassy is set on fire

Watch live: Biden meets Netanyahu in Tel Aviv to ask ‘tough questions' as Israel-Gaza conflict continues

09:43 , Matt Mathers

Biden and Netanyahu embrace at airport

09:41 , Matt Mathers

Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu shared an embrace after the US president arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport earlier this morning.

The two leaders will hold talks about the escalating war between Hamas and Israel, with Biden expected to reiterate Washington’s support for Israel while calling for civilians to be protected.

The president will also meet separately with Israeli first responders to thank them for “bravely putting themselves in harm’s way in response to these Hamas attacks,” and with family members of Israelis and Americans who lost their lives in the 7 October Hamas attacks, as well as the families of Israelis and Americans who’ve been taken hostage by the militant group.

Pope deplores ‘desperate’ situation in Gaza

09:37 , Matt Mathers

Pope Francis deplored the "desperate" situation in Gaza on Wednesday as he urged the faithful to take "only one side" in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the side "of peace."

Speaking during his weekly audience in St Peter’s Square, Francis did not mention the deadly Gaza hospital strike, for which Israelis and Palestinians are blaming each other.

"War does not solve any problem, it only sows death and destruction, increases hatred, multiplies revenge. War erases the future," he said.

"I urge believers to take only one side in this conflict, that of peace, but not with words but with prayer and total dedication," Francis added.

The pope pleaded for all possible efforts "to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe", and announced special prayers for peace in St Peter’s Basilica at 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) Oct. 27.

He said Oct. 27 would be a "a day of fasting, prayers, penance", and invited all Christians, followers of other religions and those who care for world peace to join in.

Palestinian journalist shows reality of searching for water in Gaza

09:27 , Matt Mathers

A Palestinian journalist has taken to social media to show the reality of searching for water in Gaza, Oliver Browning reports.

Hind Khoudary shared footage of herself entering various shops and supermarkets only to find “totally empty” refrigerators.

Fears are growing that people in Gaza are beginning to dehydrate to death as clean water runs out, while Israeli airstrikes continue to pound the territory of 2.3 million residents.

“I came to the supermarket and asked if there was water,” Ms Khoudary says in one clip, before turning the camera to show more empty refrigerators.

She added that the supermarket owner shared his own bottle with her, but had no water to sell.

“The thing is, we are really thirsty.”

Watch the clip here:

Palestinian journalist shows reality of searching for water in Gaza

Israel denies responsibility for hospital explosion

09:17 , Matt Mathers

The Israeli military has refuted claims from Gaza that it was responsible for a horrific attack on a hospital in a northern part of the strip which killed hundreds of people, including children on Wednesday night, Bel Trew reports.

Officials in Gaza said an Israeli airstrike struck the al-Ahli hospital at approximately 7pm local time, killing hundreds of people, most of them displaced civilians seeking shelter in the grounds. The World Health Organisation said the hospital is one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military.

Footage shared from the blast site taking in the aftermath of the attack, showed horrific scenes of mutilated bodies of women and children, covering the ground.

In a press conference held in Tel Aviv, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari refuted Gaza’s claims, blaming Palestinian Islamic Jihad - another militant group in Gaza - for the strike. He said Israel had video, satellite and audio evidence that a rocket, launched from a site close by the hospital, misfired and the warhead and the rocket’s propellant, caused the damage:

“Analysis of our aerial footage confirms that there was no direct hit of the hospital itself. The only location damaged, is outside the hospital in the parking lot where we can see signs of burning, no cratering and no structural damage to nearby buildings.

“As opposed to the damage caused by any aerial munition which would have been of a different nature: We would have seen craters and structural damage to buildings, both of which haven’t been identified in this incident.”

Gaza’s officials have said Palestinian rockets are not able to cause that level of damage or cause such a high death toll.

The Independent is unable to verify either claim.

Earlier in the day the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency said a UN school in the north of the country, where displaced people were sheltered, was hit in a strike killing 6 people earlier in the day.

Biden’s trip will be confined to Tel Aviv

09:12 , Matt Mathers

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on board the presidential aircraft that Mr Biden’s itinerary in Israel would be “confined to Tel Aviv” and would start with a sit-down with Mr Netanyahu “in a very small restricted bilateral meeting” that would later expand to include more members of his team and members of the Israeli war cabinet.

The president will also meet separately with Israeli first responders to thank them for “bravely putting themselves in harm’s way in response to these Hamas attacks,” and with family members of Israelis and Americans who lost their lives in the 7 October Hamas attacks, as well as the families of Israelis and Americans who’ve been taken hostage by the militant group.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Biden lands in Israel to meet Netanyahu hours after hospital explosion

Biden lands in Israel for high-stakes visit

08:59 , Matt Mathers

President Joe Biden has arrived Israel for a high-stakes wartime visit amid the country’s escalating war with Hamas, Rachel Sharp reports.

The president touched down in Tel Aviv at around 10.50am local time Wednesday morning where he will “reaffirm [US] solidarity with Israel” while condemning Hamas and addressing the “humanitarian needs of all citizens in Gaza”, according to NSC spokesman John Kirby.

The president is also expected to ask “tough questions” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after hundreds of civilians died in an explosion at a hospital in Gaza.

“He’ll be asking some tough questions. He’ll be asking them as a friend – as a true friend of Israel. But he will be asking some questions of them,” Mr Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.

Israel has blamed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for the hospital attack. The PIJ has denied involvement while Hamas has blamed Israel.

Following the incident, Mr Biden’s Middle East summit in Amman, Jordan, was cancelled with both King Abdullah and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority pulling out.

Protection of civilians ‘must come first’ - minister

08:50 , Matt Mathers

The protection of civilians during the Hamas-Israel war “must come first”, a government minister has said following a strike on a hospital in Gaza that has killed hundreds of people.

Treasury minister Andrew Griffiths told Times Radio the UK was working with its allies to establish the source of the blast on the Al-Ahli hospital.

More comments from Mr Griffiths below:

Israel has ‘forfeited any right to exist’, says former Labour MP

08:38 , Matt Mathers

Former Labour MP Chris Williamson has responded to the bombing of a Gaza hospital by stating on Twitter / X: “Israel has forfeited any right to exist,” Adam Forrest reports.

On 9 October he tweeted: “The current outpouring of sympathy for Israel should make anyone with half a heart retch.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said earlier this week that it had reported Williamson to the police.

Williamson was suspended by Labour for his comments about the party being “too apologetic” about antisemitism, then blocked from standing for the party in 2019 – when he lost his Derby North seat as an independent.

Live: Biden arrives in Israel to meet Netanyahu as IDF denies it is behind Gaza hospital strike

08:22 , Tom Watling

Live: Biden arrives in Israel to meet Netanyahu as IDF denies it is behind Gaza hospital strike

Israel denies hospital strike and claims it has evidence Islamic Jihads fired rockets

08:15 , Tom Watling

Israel military says no evidence of direct hit on Gaza hospital

08:07 , Tom Watling

Israel‘s military has said it has seen no evidence of a direct hit on a hospital in the Gaza Strip the day before, where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in an explosion.

A military spokesperson told journalists that there was no structural damage to buildings around the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital and no craters consistent with an air strike.

The spokesperson accused Hamas of inflating the number of casualties from the explosion and said it could not know as quickly as it claimed what caused the blast.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, blamed the deadly blast on Israel. Israel says it was a result of a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in the enclave. The spokesperson added that some 450 rockets fired from Gaza have fallen short and landed inside the strip in the last 11 days.

Responsibility for hospital attack not clear, says UK minister

07:58 , Tom Watling

Tory minister Andrew Griffith said it remains unclear who was behind the “devastating” blast at a hospital in Gaza City.

The Treasury minister told Times Radio: “I’m not going to speculate or try and attribute. I don’t think any of us know at this particular point in time. We’ll work with allies to try and work out what happened.”

Protests erupt in Lebanon following hospital explosion in Gaza

07:55 , Tom Watling

Protests have erupted in the capital of Lebanon following a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza.

The unrest took place outside the US embassies, who issued a travel warning in the region overnight.

German chancellor calls for investigation into hospital explosion

07:44 , Tom Watling

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is “horrified” by the explosion that killed hundreds of people overnight and called for an “imperative investigation”.

Speaking about the explosion at Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City, he said: “I am horrified by the images of the explosion in a hospital in Gaza. Innocent civilians were injured and killed. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. A thorough investigation of the incident is imperative.”

Conflict in Gaza could inspire terrorist acts in the UK, says head of MI5

07:34 , Tom Watling

The conflict in Gaza could inspire terrorist acts in the UK, the head of MI5 Ken McCallum has said.

The intelligence chief told reporters: “There clearly is the possibility that profound events in the Middle East will either generate more volume of UK threat and/or changes in shape in terms of what is being targeted, in terms of how people are taking inspiration.

“Terrorists can draw inspiration not just from things they see happening inside the UK but things they see happening in the Middle East or on the continent or elsewhere. So we would be silly not to be paying very close attention, and we are.”

You can read the full story below.

Top UN official says fate of entire Middle East ‘hangs in the balance’

07:31 , Tom Watling

The United Nations has called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East to “ease the epic human suffering”.

Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the UN, said in a post on Wednesday morning that the destruction wrought on human life was proving catastrophic and that humanitarian aid into Gaza was essential.

“I call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East to ease the epic human suffering,” he wrote on X. “Too many lives - and the fate of the entire region - hang in the balance.”

He earlier wrote, following an explosion in Gaza City: “I am horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn.

“My heart is with the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law.”

UK will ‘work to find out what happened’ in Gaza hospital blast, says Cleverly

07:25 , Tom Watling

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has said the UK and its allies will investigate the “devastating” destruction of a hospital in Gaza City.

At least 500 people have been killed after a huge blast struck the building, according to the Gaza health ministry, run by Hamas.

“The UK will work with our allies to find out what has happened and protect innocent civilians in Gaza,” he wrote.

Below are some photos of the aftermath of an overnight explosion in Gaza

07:23 , Tom Watling

Below are some photos from the aftermath of an explosion at the Al Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, in the north of the Strip.

Israel have blamed a misfired rocket by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who have denied involvement; Hamas have blamed an Israeli airstrike.

In video: Gaza father pleads for food as supplies arrive at Egyptian border

07:19 , Namita Singh

Gaza father pleads for food as supplies arrive at Egyptian border

Intense Israeli bombardments strike Gaza as the war rages on

07:18 , Namita Singh

A massive explosion at a hospital in Gaza City killed hundreds of people Tuesday, Hamas said, after intensifying bombardments near towns in southern Gaza rattled civilians where Israel had ordered them to take refuge.

Hamas attributed the blast to an Israeli airstrike, but the Israeli military said it was not involved and the explosion was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

Hamas’ military wing also said an Israeli airstrike on a refuge camp killed a top Hamas commander.

More details here:

Live updates | Intense Israeli bombardments strike Gaza as the war rages on

Russia calls on Israel to provide satellite imagery to absolve themselves of blame for hospital attack

07:16 , Tom Watling

Russia's foreign ministry has said that a strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians was a shockingly dehumanising crime and called on Israel to provide satellite imagery if it was not involved.

Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital while Israel blamed the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility.

“We qualify such a felonious deed as a crime - as an act of dehumanisation,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.

Zakharova said that there was a clear attempt by some to absolve themselves of responsibility and that it was not enough to simply make comments in the media on such an incident so Israel and the United States should provide satellite imagery.

“Please be so kind as to provide satellite images, and it would be nice if American partners did it,” Zakharova said.

Russia, allies with Iran, have made no secret of their support for Hamas and, more strategically, their opposition to the US.

Iran foreign minister says ‘time is over’ for Israel

07:12 , Tom Watling

The Iranian foreign minister has issued a statement calling on those in opposition to Israel to unite and retaliate to the explosion that killed hundreds of civilian Palestinians sheltering in the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hostpital overnight.

Writing in English, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said: “Time is over.”

Comment: Should we negotiate with terrorists?

06:48 , Namita Singh

As distressing videos of Hamas hostages circulate online, Sean O’Grady writes about the painful truth of dealing with militant fanatics.

Should we negotiate with terrorists? Never – with a single exception

Mia Schem’s mother begs for release of daughter paraded in Hamas hostage video

06:47 , Namita Singh

The mother of Mia Schem, a French-Israeli tattoo artist who appeared in the first video released by Hamas of its hostages in Gaza, said she “screamed and fell to the ground” when she first saw confirmation her daughter was alive.

Keren Schem issued an impassioned plea “begging” the international community for help to bring her daughter home.

Ms Schem, 21, was attending the Supernova music festival with a close friend near the border with Gaza, when they both went missing 10 days ago.

She sent her message to her mother at 7.30am saying “they are shooting at us”. Hamas militants attacked the rave, killing hundreds of people and taking several hostage, witnesses have told The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew.

Ms Schem’s family had no idea of her fate until she appeared in a video released by Hamas on Monday afternoon. It marked the first time the militant group, that rules Gaza, have released any footage of the estimated 199 people, including British citizens, who were taken to Gaza.

Read the details here:

Mia Schem’s mother begs for release of daughter paraded in Hamas hostage video

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

06:34 , Namita Singh

Hundreds of Palestinian Americans are still stuck in Gaza after the US State Department claimed they would be allowed to leave through Egypt’s border crossing near Rafah.

Families — many with children — sat with their suitcases outside the border crossing on Monday waiting for news on whether or not they’d be allowed to leave besieged Gaza.

One woman, Maha Barkat, told NBC News that her family is “surviving on sandwiches” while they wait to escape.

“We are American citizens and should be treated the same as the Americans who got put on planes out of Tel Aviv,” she said on Monday.

Report:

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

More US ships head towards Israel

06:31 , Namita Singh

Within hours of the horrific 7 October attack by Hamas, the US began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needed to respond. On Tuesday, more ships and forces were heading toward Israel, and other troops in the US were preparing to deploy if called on.

One US aircraft carrier and its strike group is already in the eastern Mediterranean and a second one has left the US and is heading that way. In addition, three Marine warships are moving into the region. Scores of aircraft were dispatched to US military bases around the Middle East, and American special operations forces are working with Israel’s military in planning and intelligence.

As of Tuesday, five shipments of US weapons and equipment had arrived in Israel.

Report:

More US ships head toward Israel and 2,000 troops are on heightened alert. A look at US assistance

British Palestinians in agony as family trapped in Gaza

06:17 , Namita Singh

A British-Palestinian woman has shared her agony as her elderly father, disabled mother and four siblings face horrifying uncertainty after fleeing their home in Gaza, as relatives lose hope for their survival.

Jas, who lives in Birmingham with her husband Ali after moving to the UK in 2014, told The Independent she has been enduring “endless nights” terrified of the news the morning may bring about her parents and siblings after they were forced to flee from Israeli air strikes.

The 34-year-old said her mother, 61, who needs a wheelchair, 75-year-old father, two brothers, two sisters and eight nieces and nephews - one as young as two - were given a two-minute warning in a call from the IDF last week ahead of their home being bombarded with missiles.

My colleague Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:

‘We have no hope for their survival’: British Palestinians’ agony for family in Gaza

Conflict in Gaza could inspire terrorism in UK, says MI5 chief

06:17 , Namita Singh

The conflict in Gaza could inspire terrorist acts in the UK, the head of MI5 has said.

At least 1,400 people were killed, many of them civilians, and thousands more injured in Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October.

About 2,778 Palestinians have died as Israel launched air strikes on Gaza in response and cut off fuel, water, food and medical supplies from entering the cramped territory, which is home to more than two million people.

“There clearly is the possibility that profound events in the Middle East will either generate more volume of UK threat and/or changes in shape in terms of what is being targeted, in terms of how people are taking inspiration,” said MI5 director-general Ken McCallum at an event hosted by the FBI on Tuesday.

Report:

Conflict in Gaza could inspire terrorism in UK, says MI5 chief

UN to vote on Gaza resolution

05:50 , Namita Singh

The UN Security Council scheduled a Wednesday vote on a resolution that initially condemned “the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas” on Israel as well as all violence against civilians, while calling for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver desperately needed aid to millions in Gaza.

Negotiations on the wording of the draft resolution sponsored by Brazil continued throughout Tuesday, and the final version to be voted on had not been released by late Tuesday.

The vote follows the council’s rejection on Monday evening of a Russian-drafted resolution that condemned violence and terrorism against civilians and called for a “humanitarian cease-fire” but made no mention of Hamas.

Report:

UN to vote on Gaza resolution that would condemn attack by Hamas and all violence against civilians

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit cancelled after hospital strike

05:41 , Namita Singh

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit has been cancelled following the deadly strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, the White House has confirmed.

A White House official said Mr Biden would still travel to Israel, but the planned second leg of the trip to Jordan will be postponed for now.

“After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt,” the official said in a statement.

Read the details here:

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit cancelled after hospital strike, White House says

In video: Humza Yousaf’s wife says family injured in Gaza drone attack

05:35 , Namita Singh

Humza Yousaf’s wife says family trapped in Gaza injured in drone attack

Sevenfold increase in antisemitic incidents recorded in UK since Hamas attack

05:22 , Namita Singh

Antisemitic incidents in the UK have increased by almost 600 per cent since Hamas’s attack on Israel, according to a Jewish security group.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which represents British Jews on issues of racism and policing, said it had recorded 320 antisemitic incidents between 7 and 16 October, a sevenfold increase on the 47 antisemitic incidents recorded over the same period last year.

CST said 15 of the 320 incidents recorded were assaults, 14 referred to damage to Jewish property and 244 were related to abusive behaviour, with 86 taking place online.

Report:

Sevenfold increase in antisemitic incidents recorded in UK since Hamas attack

Government has ‘no immediate plans' to stop Israel arms export licences

05:11 , Namita Singh

At present there are “no immediate plans” to stop arms export licences to Israel, a Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said, after a Palestinian NGO threatened the UK with legal action if it did not stop arms sales to Tel Aviv.

“All export licences are kept under continual review, with applications assessed on a case-by-case basis against strict criteria,” the spokesperson said.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which previously brought an unsuccessful case against Britain over allowing arms exports to Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday also called for the immediate suspension of all licences for arms exports to Israel.

Palestinian NGO tells UK to stop arm sales to Israel

05:07 , Namita Singh

A Palestinian rights group has threatened legal action against Britain unless it revokes all arms export licences to Israel, which it says has violated international law with its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

West Bank-based Al-Haq, which documents alleged rights violations by Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, asked in a letter sent on Monday to trade minister Kemi Badenoch for Britain to confirm that no British “weapons are being used in Israel/Palestine or against Palestinians.”

Or, Britain should “immediately suspend and/or revoke all extant licences to Israel and undertake not to grant any further licences until Israel ceases to violate international law”.

If it does not receive a full response by 30 October, Al-Haq’s lawyers said the group will consider taking legal action against Britain for unlawfully licensing arms exports that could be used in breach of international law.

The group said there is “clear evidence that Israel has repeatedly and gravely breached international law in these last 10 days alone” since the Hamas assault on Israel.

Claims and counter claims over Gaza hospital attack

05:01 , Namita Singh

There have been competing claims and denials from Israeli and Palestinian officials over who was responsible for the attack on a hospital in Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of a massacre.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu minced no words in blaming Palestinian militants for the explosion.

“The entire world should know: It was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF,” he said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. “Those who brutally murdered our children also murder their own children.”

The IDF blamed a Palestinian militant group called Palestine Islamic Jihad which, like Hamas, is viewed by the United States as a terrorist organisation.

“Following an additional review and cross-examination of the operational and intelligence systems, it is clear that the IDF did not strike the hospital in Gaza,” IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video statement.

“The hospital was hit as a result of a failed rocket launched by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation,” he said.

Daoud Shehab, a spokesperson for Islamic Jihad, told Reuters: “This is a lie and fabrication, it is completely incorrect. The occupation is trying to cover for the horrifying crime and massacre they committed against civilians.”

Fox News host slammed for ‘shameful’ claim there’s no difference between Hamas and Palestinians

05:00 , Josh Marcus

Fox News host Jesse Watters has been slammed after saying there is no difference between Hamas and Palestinians and “they all love killing Jews.”

During Monday’s The Five, Watters discussed the recent Hamas terror attack on Israel, in which more than 1,400 people were killed, while many more were injured and dozens were taken back to Gaza as captives.

“I don’t like how people try to differentiate between the Palestinians and Hamas,” he said.

The Fox News host went on: “To me, I see people with guns. That’s Hamas. The people without the guns are the Palestinians. They believe the same thing. The Palestinians hire Hamas to run their government. You poll them; they all love killing Jews. It’s in their charter. They say they believe in suicide bombings.”

Martha McHardy reports on the controversy.

Fox News host slammed for claim there’s no difference between Hamas and Palestinians

In video: Biden departs for Israel as Gaza hospital hit by airstrike

04:55 , Namita Singh

Gaza hospital blast complicates peace efforts

04:51 , Namita Singh

The explosion in a Gaza hospital which killed at least 500 people on Tuesday has further complicated efforts to contain the crisis.

In one sign of this, Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi cancelled a summit his country was to host in Amman with US president Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders.

In another, Palestinian security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah who were throwing rocks and chanting against president Mahmoud Abbas as popular anger boiled.

The blast drew condemnation across the Arab world, and protests were staged at Israel’s embassies in Turkey and Jordan and near the US embassy in Lebanon, where security forces fired tear gas toward demonstrators.

Television footage showed protests in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taz, as well as in the Moroccan capital Rabat and Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group denounced what it said was Israel’s deadly attack on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital in Gaza, which is run by the Anglican church, and called for “a day of unprecedented anger” against Israel and Mr Biden’s visit.

West Bank protests erupt after hospital blast

04:38 , Namita Singh

About 500 Palestinians were killed in a blast at a Gaza City hospital on Tuesday that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other and that ignited protests in the West Bank and around the Middle East.

Health authorities in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said that an Israeli air strike caused the blast while Israel’s military attributed it to a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.

The blast was the bloodiest single incident in Gaza since Israel launched a bombing campaign to retaliate for 7 October Hamas assault on southern Israeli communities that killed 1,300 people.

The blast 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 minimize civilian casualties.

Reuters could not independently verify who was responsible for the blast.

Before Tuesday’s blast, health authorities in Gaza said at least 3,000 people had died in Israel’s 11-day bombardment.

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

04:30 , Josh Marcus

Hundreds of Palestinian Americans are still stuck in Gaza after the US State Department claimed they would be allowed to leave through Egypt’s border crossing near Rafah.

Families — many with children — sat with their suitcases outside the border crossing on Monday waiting for news on whether or not they’d be allowed to leave besieged Gaza.

One woman, Maha Barkat, told NBC News that her family is “surviving on sandwiches” while they wait to escape.

“We are American citizens and should be treated the same as the Americans who got put on planes out of Tel Aviv,” she said on Monday.

More details in the full story from Graig Graziosi.

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

Berkeley professor tells law firms not to hire his ‘antisemitic’ students

04:23 , Namita Singh

A professor at the University of California, Berkeley has urged law firms not to hire some of his students, accusing them of being “antisemitic”, as the on-campus crisis over the Middle Eastern conflict continues.

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon, a teacher of corporate law at the prestigious California university claimed members of the student body “advocate hate and practice discrimination” – adding that antisemitic conduct on campuses including Berkeley was “nothing new”.

It comes amid feuds over free speech at colleges across the US, ignited by the war between Israel and Hamas. The furore started following a statement released by a group of student organisations at Harvard University.

Mike Bedigan reports:

Berkeley professor tells law firms not to hire his ‘antisemitic’ students

AOC slams DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

04:22 , Namita Singh

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid into Florida Governor and GOP presidential primary candidate Ron DeSantis after he suggested all refugees from Gaza were antisemitic.

More than a million people living in Gaza have been driven from their homes by the Israeli Defence Force as it carries out retaliatory military actions in the wake of Hamas‘ terror attack on 7 October, which left 2,000 Israelis dead.

The Palestinians living in Gaza have nowhere to run. Mr DeSantis said the US should not take any Palestinian refugees, claiming they are all antisemitic.

My colleague Graig Graziosi reports:

AOC slams ‘destructive’ DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

UK will work to ‘find out what happened’ after Gaza hospital blast, says Cleverly

04:04 , Namita Singh

The foreign secretary has said the UK will investigate the destruction of a hospital in Gaza City which has left at least 500 dead.

In a post on X, James Cleverly said: “The destruction of Al Ahli hospital is a devastating loss of human life. The UK has been clear. The protection of civilian life must come first.

“The UK will work with our allies to find out what has happened and protect innocent civilians in Gaza.”

Read the details here:

UK will work to ‘find out what happened’ after Gaza hospital blast – Cleverly

AOC slams ‘destructive and dangerous’ DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

04:00 , Josh Marcus

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid into Florida Governor and GOP presidential primary candidate Ron DeSantis after he suggested all refugees from Gaza were antisemitic.

More than a million people living in Gaza have been driven from their homes by the Israeli Defence Force as it carries out retaliatory military actions in the wake of Hamas‘ terror attack on 7 October, which left 2,000 Israelis dead.

The Palestinians living in Gaza have nowhere to run. Mr DeSantis said the US should not take any Palestinian refugees, claiming they are all antisemitic.

“We cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees. I am not gonna do that. If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all antisemitic, none of them believe in Israel’s right to exist,” Mr DeSantis said during a campaign event.

Graig Graziosi reports.

AOC slams ‘destructive’ DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

‘Scotland offers sanctuary to refugees from Gaza’

03:54 , Namita Singh

Scotland is ready to offer sanctuary to refugees fleeing Israeli attacks in Gaza, said the country’s first minister Humza Yousaf.

“In the past, people in Scotland and across the UK have opened our hearts and our homes,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Scotland is ready to play her part. To be the first country in the UK to offer safety and sanctuary to the people of Gaza. To treat the injured men, women and children, where we can.”

Labour meets with council leaders amid resignations over party’s Israel stance

03:53 , Namita Singh

The Labour leadership is understood to have held a meeting with councillors after a number of resignations over the party’s messaging on the conflict in the Middle East.

Amna Abdullatif, a councillor in Ardwick in Manchester since 2019, said on Monday she would quit Labour after Sir Keir Starmer made “horrifying comments about Israel having the right to withhold fuel, water, food and electricity from the 2.2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, effectively endorsing a war crime”.

It came after Shaista Aziz and Amar Latif, of Oxford City Council, said they were resigning from Labour for similar reasons.

Report:

Labour meets with council leaders amid resignations over party’s Israel stance

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit cancelled after hospital strike, White House says

03:30 , Josh Marcus

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit has been cancelled following the deadly strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, the White House has confirmed.

A White House official said Mr Biden would still travel to Israel, but the planned second leg of the trip to Jordan will be postponed for now.

“After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt,” the official said in a statement.

The official also said Mr Biden had “sent his deepest condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded”.

Graeme Massie and Andrew Feinberg have the details.

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit cancelled after hospital strike, White House says

The heartbreaking last words of six-year-old killed in anti-Muslim attack

03:00 , Josh Marcus

The 6-year-old Palestinian-American who was stabbed to death at his home in a Chicago suburb over the weekend told his mother “I’m fine” as he was dying, she revealed in a heartbreaking Facebook just hours after the attack.

Wadea Al-Fayoume, who loved running and playing soccer, uttered his last words after he was stabbed 26 times and his 32-year-old mother, Hanaan Shaheen, a dozen times.

Joseph Czuba, 71, who was the family’s landlord, was arrested over the stabbings. The Will County Sheriff’s Office said Czuba was likely motivated by “the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” as well as the family’s Muslim faith.

The child died from his horrific injuries, and his mother remains in the hospital. Just hours after the attack on Saturday, she appeared to post her son’s last words to Facebook.

“My son’s last words were: (I’m fine). May God have mercy on him and let him dwell in the highest paradise.”

Andrea Cavallier reports.

Heartbreaking last words of six-year-old killed in anti-Muslim attack revealed

Families of 199 Israeli hostages contacted by IDF

02:30 , Josh Marcus

There are at least 199 Israeli hostages in Hamas custody.

The IDF said it has contacted the 199 captives’ families in recent days, and that the military would avoid operations that could put the hostages at risk.

“We are making valiant efforts to try to understand where the hostages are in Gaza, and we have such information,” IDF spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said at a recent press conference, The Times of Israel reports.

“We will not carry out an attack that would endanger our people,” he added.

Five Hezbollah fighters dead as Israel clashes with Lebanon

02:00 , Josh Marcus

Five Hezbollah fighters were killed on Tuesday as Israel and Lebanon engaged in cross-border skirmishes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

IDF officials warned Hezbollah, a fellow Iranian ally alongside Hamas, not to intervene in the war.

“This is a war on the home,” Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday, the AP reports. “If Hezbollah makes a mistake, it will be annihilated.”

Fire burns outside of US Embassy in Beirut

01:45 , Josh Marcus

A fire was spotted burning Tuesday at the US Embassy compound in Beirut, Lebanon, Fox News reports.

The compound has been the locus of intense protests.

Intense demonstrations have taken place across the region as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian protester in West Bank

01:30 , Josh Marcus

The Israel Defense Forces killed a Palestinian protester late Tuesday, Al Arabiya reports, citing the Palestinian health ministry.

Few details were immediately available about the incident, described as taking place during a “confrontation” in Nabi Saleh village, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Gaza hospital strike renews calls from Congress for Israel ceasefire

01:15 , Josh Marcus

The explosion Tuesday at a hospital in the Gaza Strip has given extra urgency to calls from members of Congress for Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes,” Democrat Ilhan Omar said in a statement Tuesday on X. “The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific. @POTUS needs to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this slaughter.”

Israel, Hamas, and Palestine Islamic Jihad all deny being behind the explosion.

On Monday, 13 House Democrats filed a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

Israel may release raw intelligence backing its claims it wasn’t involved in hospital attack

Wednesday 18 October 2023 00:57 , Josh Marcus

A spokeperson for the Israel Defense Forces says the country may publicly share intelligence backing up the country’s claims that it wasn’t behind an explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed an estimated 500 people.

IDF spokesperson Lt Col Jonathan Conricus told CNN the country is considering releasing the information.

“We’re in the progress of declassifying,” he said. “I cannot promise yet that we will but maybe because of the importance and because what is at stake here that may happen.”

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed at least 3,000 people, and has involved strikes on targets including refugee centres and a border crossing with fleeing civilians.

The war, which has claimed over 1,400 Israeli lives, began earlier this month when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack, killing and kidnapping numerous civilians.

What has Joe Biden said about the Gaza hospital explosion?

Wednesday 18 October 2023 00:37 , Josh Marcus

Joe Biden condemned the recent explosion at a Gaza hospital as a tragic loss of civilian life, but was careful not to assign blame, as both Hamas and Israel claim the other was responsible for the killing of nearly 500 people who died in the tragedy.

“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” Mr Biden told reporters on Air Force One. “The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.”

The president said he had spoken with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel since and has directed his national security team to collect more information.

Palestinian Authority fires gas and stun grenades at protesters in Ramallah

Wednesday 18 October 2023 00:22 , Josh Marcus

Hundreds of Palestinians turned out in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday in protest of an explosion at a hospital in Gaza that killed an estimated 500 people amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.

Hamas accused Israel of launching an airstrike on the hospital, while the IDF denies responsibility and blames Palestinian militants instead.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises partial control over the occupied West Bank, reportedly fired tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd of demonstrators in Ramallah, Al Jazeera reports.

Some of the demonstrators were reportedly chanting, “The people want the fall of the president.”

Many Palestinians are critical of PA President Mahmoud Abbas for collaborating with Israeli security services in the West Bank.

Mr Abbas, who was set to meet with US president Joe Biden tomorrow, reportedly plans to return to the West Bank immediately.

Humza Yousaf’s wife Nadia El-Nakla says family trapped in Gaza injured in drone attack

Tuesday 17 October 2023 23:45 , Josh Marcus

The wife of Scotland‘s first minister has revealed that her family trapped in Gaza were injured in an Israeli drone attack.

Nadia El-Akla, who is married to Humza Yousaf, said on LBC that her three young cousins were struck by shrapnel from the drone as they were sitting outside their house.

The SNP councillor’s mother, father and many of her extended family are trapped in Gaza as the conflict between Israel and Hamas takes place around them.

The 39-year-old said her mother, a retired nurse, had been treating the family for their injuries due to the lack of hospital space.

Get the details via Independent TV.

Humza Yousaf’s wife says family trapped in Gaza injured in drone attack

WATCH: Protesters attempt to storm Israeli embassy in Jordan

Tuesday 17 October 2023 23:35 , Josh Marcus

Protestors in Jordan clashed with police near the Israeli embassy in the capital of Amman on Tuesday 17 October 2023.

Police fired teargas to disperse protestors and barricaded the route to the embassy.

Demonstrations began after a strike on a Gaza hospital that Palestinian authorities blamed on Israel.

Israeli officials have claimed Palestine is responsible for the attack.

Jordan’s King Abdullah described the bombing of a Gaza hospital that killed 500 Palestinians and injured hundreds as a “massacre” and a “war crime”.

Protesters attempt to storm Israeli embassy in Jordan

Gaza hospital burns moments after deadly explosion ‘kills at least 500 people’

Tuesday 17 October 2023 23:25 , Josh Marcus

Distressing footage shows a Gaza hospital on fire after being hit by an airstrike on Tuesday 17 October.

More than 500 people were killed in the explosion and fire at the Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the Gaza health ministry said.

Gazan authorities said Israel was responsible for the strike, though the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) denied involvement.

Israel claims the strike was the fault of a “failed rocket launch” by militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The explosion comes on the eve of Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and because of the explosion, Jordan cancelled its summit with the US president.

Get the details via Independent TV.

Gaza hospital burns moments after deadly explosion ‘kills at least 500 people’

Hamas leaders willing to release civilian hostages if Israel stops bombing: report

Tuesday 17 October 2023 23:15 , Josh Marcus

Hamas leaders reportedly say they would release many of their hostages, including Israelis, in “an hour” if Israel stops its continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

A Hamas official told NBC News the group would be prepared to free the numerous civilian hostages it took as part of its original suprise attack on Israel.

The official also claimed, NBC reports, that the continued bombing has made it logistically impossible to find a safe place in which to release the hostages.

The official also reportedly said the group would only release the Israeli soldiers it took if “all” Palestinians in Israeli jails were freed.

The Hamas official added that Arab intermediary countries offering help with de-escalation were aware of this condition, suggesting Israel may be aware as well.

WATCH: Biden leaves for Israel as Israel-Hamas war escalates with hospital explosion

Tuesday 17 October 2023 22:56 , Josh Marcus

President Joe Biden is heading to Israel for a series of meetings with the US ally and top leaders from the region on Wednesday.

The visit comes at a moment of extraordinary tension in the Israel-Hamas war, as observers around the world were horrified when a Gaza hospital exploded, killing an estimated 500 people.

Watch the president set off via Independent TV.

Rashida Tlaib blames Biden for explosion at Gaza hospital

Tuesday 17 October 2023 22:46 , Josh Marcus

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said the Biden administration bears responsibility for a devastating explosion at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday that killed an estimated 500 Palestinians, many of whom were being treated for injuries sustained in previous strikes from Israel.

Officials from various sides of the conflict are blaming each other for the devastation – Hamas claiming the explosion was an Israeli air strike, and Israel blaming the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which denies responsibility – but the Michigan legislator said that the US president’s role in the larger conflict can’t be ignored.

“This is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate,” Ms Tlaib wrote on Tuesday on X. “Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood.”

So far, US officials have voiced outspoken support for Israel and its right to self-defence, while calling for the key US ally to avoid civilian casualties.

Video shows Gaza hospital burning moments after deadly explosion ‘kills at least 500 people’

Tuesday 17 October 2023 22:26 , Josh Marcus

An explosion at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday killed at least 500 people.

Officials in Gaza say Israel was behind an aistrike on the Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday, while the IDF has blamed a “failed rocket launch” from the Islamic Jihad militant group for the disaster. The group has also denied any involvement.

Footage captured the hospital burning as civilians fled.

Hezbollah announces Wednesday as ‘a day of unprecedented anger’ against Israel

Tuesday 17 October 2023 21:59 , Holly Evans

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denounced what they said was Israel’s deadly attack on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, announcing Wednesday as “a day of unprecedented anger” against Israel and Biden’s visit to the country.

“The attack reveals the true criminal face of this entity and its sponsor...the United States, which bears direct and complete responsibility for this massacre”, according to a statement released by the group.

WHO says hospital evacuation order had been ‘impossible’ to carry out

Tuesday 17 October 2023 21:54 , Holly Evans

In a statement, the World Health Organisation said: “WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip. The hospital was operational, with patients, health and care givers, and internally displaced people sheltering there. Early reports indicate hundreds of fatalities and injuries.

“The hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced.

“WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and health care. Evacuation orders must be reversed. International humanitarian law must be abided by, which means health care must be actively protected and never targeted.”

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

Tuesday 17 October 2023 21:49 , Holly Evans

Hundreds of Palestinian Americans are still stuck in Gaza after the US State Department claimed they would be allowed to leave through Egypt’s border crossing near Rafah.

Families — many with children — sat with their suitcases outside the border crossing on Monday waiting for news on whether or not they’d be allowed to leave besieged Gaza.

One woman, Maha Barkat, told NBC News that her family is “surviving on sandwiches” while they wait to escape.

Read more here

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

Both Islamic jihad group and IDF deny responsibility for Gaza hospital strike

Tuesday 17 October 2023 21:44 , Holly Evans

A hospital in Gaza City was hit by an airstrike killing an estimated 500 Palestinians in the deadliest single incident since the Israel-Gaza conflict began on 7 October.

The Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was holding thousands of displaced Palestinians, including women and children.

Palestinian authorities blamed an Israeli airstrike, with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyehi stating that the “hospital massacre confirms the enemy’s brutality”.

However, the Israel Defence Forces said: “Following an analysis by the IDF’s operational systems, a barrage of rockets was launched toward Israel, which passed in the vicinity of the hospital, when it was hit.

“According to intelligence information from a number of sources we have, Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed rocket launch that hit the hospital.”

A spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad has also denied it is responsible for the Gaza hospital strike.

Protests have already begun in the West Bank, while several Middle Eastern leaders have condemned the “barbaric” attacks, which occurred shortly before President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.

Benjamin Netanyahu says ‘barbaric terrorists’ behind attack, not IDF

Tuesday 17 October 2023 21:33 , Holly Evans

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said “barbaric terrorists” in Gaza bombed the al Alhi hospital and Israel’s military is not responsible.