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This article documents a recent mass-casualty explosion. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (October 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

On 17 October 2023, amid the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, an explosion occurred in the courtyard of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, in which thousands of displaced Palestinians were seeking shelter. Claimed fatalities due to the explosion range from 200 to more than 500. The explosion is the largest loss of life in a single event in Gaza in the conflict between Gaza and Israel since 2008.

The cause of the explosion is disputed. The Gaza Health Ministry claimed the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli Defense Forces denied this, claiming that the explosion was caused by a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad targeting the Israeli city of Haifa. An Islamic Jihad spokesman denied this claim. The Guardian reported that "the scale of the blast appears to be outside" the capabilities of Hamas. BNO News later posted a video showing a failed rocket, launched by Hamas was the cause of the hospital explosion.

Background

The hospital has been in operation since 1882. It was founded by the Church of England’s Church Mission Society and was later run as a medical mission by the Southern Baptist Conference between 1954 and 1982. It returned to the Anglican Church in the 1980s.

Since the evacuation of Northern Gaza began, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital took hundreds of those displaced in response to the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The hospital was damaged by Israeli rocket fire late on 14 October, leaving 4 staff members injured, according to a statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Before the rocket fire on 14 October, the hospital sheltered around 6,000 displaced persons; subsequently many of them fled, with around 1,000 remaining in the courtyard. On 16 October, Israel ordered 21 hospitals in Gaza, including the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital to evacuate, but its staff and people refused the Israeli orders. The Guardian reported that "the scale of the blast appears to be outside" the capabilities of Hamas.

Response

Around 350 injured people were brought to Al-Shifa Hospital by both ambulances and personal cars.

Reactions

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared 3 days of mourning following the deadly event and canceled a planned meeting with American President Joe Biden. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the explosion as "horrible" and "unacceptable", but refused to assign blame. The Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condemned the alleged attack. Médecins Sans Frontières said it was "horrified" by the alleged bombing and called it a "massacre".

Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and Turkey also condemned the alleged attack, while Qatar condemned what they described as "a dangerous escalation". Saudi Arabia condemned Israel for the alleged attack, which it described as a "heinous crime". Russia and the UAE called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, said that the Middle East was "on the brink of falling into the abyss" amid fears that the conflict could escalate into a wider war involving other armed groups.

The explosion sparked protests in a number of countries. In Ramallah and other cities in the West Bank, protestors chanted against Mahmoud Abbas and threw stones, leading to police using tear gas and stun grenades in an attempt to disperse protesters. Thousands of protestors marched outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul to protest against the war. The US and French embassies in Beirut also faced protests aimed at their support for Israel.

See also

• October 2023 UNRWA school airstrike
• Al-Shati refugee camp airstrike
• Jabalia camp market airstrike
• Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
• Timeline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

References

1. ^ Ibrahim, Arwa; Siddiqui, Usaid; Mohamed, Edna; Hatuqa, Dalia; Stepansky, Joseph. "Hundreds of casualties as Israel hits Gaza hospital sheltering thousands". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
2. ^ Chao-Fong, Léonie; Belam, Martin; Sullivan, Helen (17 October 2023). "Israel-Hamas war live: at least 500 casualties in Gaza hospital strike, health ministry says". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
3. ^ Jobain, Nayib; Kullab, Samya; Nessman, Ravi; Lee, Matthew (17 October 2023). "Gaza Health Ministry says death toll in Gaza City hospital blast rises to at least 500". AP News. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
4. Fabian, Emanuel (17 October 2023). "IDF says assessment shows failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch caused Gaza hospital blast". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
5. ^ "Israel Gaza live news: Hundreds killed in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital - Palestinian officials". BBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
6. Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (17 October 2023). "Hundreds killed at Gaza hospital amid conflicting claims". Reuters. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
7. Cite error: The named reference BNO News Video was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
8. Paulsen, David (16 October 2023). "Anglican hospital among facilities struggling to respond to growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
9. "Gaza hospitals are 'facing catastrophe', says Archbishop of Canterbury". The Archbishop of Canterbury. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
10. Abdel-Baqui, Omar; Jones, Rory (17 October 2023). "Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Hospital Kills More Than 500, Palestinian Officials Say". Wall Street Journal. New York. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
11. Ibrahim, Usaid Siddiqui,Edna Mohamed,Dalia Hatuqa,Joseph Stepansky,Arwa. "Israel kills 500 in strike on Gaza hospital sheltering thousands: Ministry". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. "Saudi Arabia 'strongly condemns Israel's heinous crime' at Gaza hospital". Ynetnews. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.

• Current events from October 2023
• 2023 Israel–Hamas war
• Zeitoun, Gaza
• Explosions in 2023