Israel and Hamas point fingers over Gaza hospital tragedy, 500 lives lost, sparking widespread protests
US President visits Israel as Gaza hospital blast sparks international outcry and calls for ceasefire.
In Gaza City, a massive explosion occurred at a hospital, leading to the tragic deaths of at least 500 people, many of whom were women and children. The cause of the blast has become a source of contention, with Hamas blaming an Israeli airstrike, and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) claiming it was a rocket misfire by a Palestinian militant group.
US President Joe Biden is on his way to Israel, intending to express solidarity with the country during this turbulent time. He postponed a regional summit in Jordan due to the hospital incident. During his visit, President Biden plans to discuss the ongoing conflict with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders.
The IDF asserts that the explosion at the al-Ahli Arab was caused by a missile misfire from the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad. They’ve denied Hamas’s claim of an Israeli air raid. President Biden expressed his outrage over the hospital blast and initiated an investigation by a US investigative agency.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, condemned the hospice strike, emphasizing the need for an immediate end to the violence. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called the airstrike on the Gaza hospital “horrific and absolutely unacceptable.”
The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, cancelled his meeting with Joe Biden and other Middle East leaders to protest the alleged Israeli airstrike on the . Protests erupted at the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, as demonstrators clashed with police.
The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon called for a “day of rage” in response to the blast, blaming Israel for what they termed a “massacre.” Additionally, there are issues with the delivery of aid to Gaza through the Egypt-Israel border, where aid trucks remain stuck, affecting the humanitarian situation.
Humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict
Efforts are being made in the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution demanding a ceasefire and humanitarian pauses in the conflict, with a focus on providing much-needed aid to Gaza. However, a Russian-drafted resolution with similar goals previously failed to pass in the Security Council.
Air raids and cross-border attacks have continued along the Lebanon-Israel border, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in response to various incidents.
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