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Hundreds of Palestinians sheltering and being treated in the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza were killed in a blast on October 17, with Palestinian health authorities blaming for the attack. Israeli authorities, meanwhile, suggested the blast may have been the result of a failed rocket launch by Hamas militants, claiming that their analysis and intelligence had determined that the “Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed rocket launch that hit the hospital.”
U.S. intelligence agencies determined that the blast killed between 100-300 people. Initial reports indicated that between 300-500 people had been killed. The U.S. has also said intelligence indicates that Hamas group Palestinian Islamic Jihad — not Israel —is responsible for the blast.
The United Nations has warned that the situation in Gaza is quickly approaching that of a “humanitarian catastrophe.” In response to Hamas’ attack against Israel in early October — in which more than 1,200 people were killed, the majority of them civilians, according to Israel — Israel has declared a “complete siege” against Gaza. The Palestinian territory, which houses more than 2 million people and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, has been cut off from access to water, electricity, and fuel by Israel. According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 3,000 Palestinians had been killed in the retaliatory bombing campaign against Gaza, including hundreds of children, with the death toll rising in the aftermath of the blast at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital.
Alongside patients being treated at Al-Ahli, hundreds of civilians had taken refuge in the hospital following an order from the Israeli government for more than 1 million Palestinians to evacuate from northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive by Israeli forces.
This story has been updated to reflect the latest information available about the blast at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.
