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Israel-Gaza war
WorldMiddle East

Hundreds killed in Gaza hospital blast, Israel and Hamas trade blame

  • Israel blamed blast at a Gaza City hospital on a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad, while Hamas blamed Israeli air strikes
  • Jordan cancelled a summit it was scheduled to host with US President Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders

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Palestinians wounded at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital at al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City. An explosion killed hundreds at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital. Photo: AP
Reuters

An explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of Palestinians, deepening tensions in the Middle East and raising the stakes for US President Joe Biden as he flies to Israel on Wednesday to signal support for its war against Hamas.

Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital, with the Palestinian Authority’s health minister accusing Israel of causing a “massacre”.

Israel blamed the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility. Neither account could be independently corroborated.

Hours later on Wednesday, an Israel military spokesman said there was no structural damage to buildings around the hospital and no craters consistent with an air strike.

The catastrophe has inflamed a region already in crisis since Hamas carried out an October 7 cross-border rampage against communities in southern Israel in which at least 1,300 people died.

On the ground in Gaza, there were scenes of chaos as the injured and dead were taken to nearby medical centres.

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