Following the rocket attack on a hospital in Gaza City, the Israeli army now doubts the number of Palestinian deaths: there were no direct hits on the facility, says Israeli army spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari. Military drone footage showed “some impact in the parking lot.”
The army intercepted a conversation with the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in which the fighters admitted they had taken a missed shot. Another military spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Concricus, told CNN. The military plans to release a recording of the conversation. The Hamas-run Health Ministry estimates the number of victims at at least 500, but had previously spoken of a hit on a “hospital yard” in central Gaza City.
Worldwide shock after attack
The attack on the hospital was condemned worldwide. US President Joe Biden reacted with dismay. He was “outraged and deeply saddened” by the explosion at the hospital and the terrible loss of life it caused, according to his written statement released by the White House on Tuesday evening. Immediately after the incident became known, he spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and instructed his team to gather further information about what happened.
Biden is already on his way to Israel
“The United States is unequivocally committed to protecting civilians during conflict, and we mourn the patients, medical personnel, and other innocents killed or injured in this tragedy,” the statement continued. Biden left for Israel on Tuesday evening, where he is expected to make a brief visit on Wednesday.
The US president had originally planned to travel to Jordan on Wednesday to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. However, after the rocket hit the hospital in the Gaza Strip, the meeting in Jordan was canceled at short notice.
“I am shocked by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians today in an attack on a hospital in Gaza, which I condemn in the strongest possible terms,” UN Secretary General António Guterres wrote on Twitter (X). “My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical personnel are subject to the protection of international humanitarian law.”
“Attack is clearly a war crime”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also described the attack as a war crime and held the government in Washington indirectly responsible for it. “The terrible attack on a hospital in the Gaza Strip is clearly a war crime,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram. “Who mindlessly spend colossal amounts of money on weapons and boost their military-industrial complex. Who wrongly proclaim that they want to protect democratic values worldwide. The United States.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
