Over 500 killed as Israel strikes hospital in Gaza

International Desk Published: 18 October 2023, 08:26 AM
Over 500 killed as Israel strikes hospital in Gaza
Palestinians wounded at Al-Ahli Hospital sit on the floor at Al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City [Abed Khaled/AP Photo]

More than 500 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, said Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, reports Anadolu Agency.

Footage showed corpses scattered across the hospital grounds.

According to an Anadolu reporter, thousands of Palestinians were at the hospital when the building came under bombardment.

The Israeli army, for its part, said reports of a possible airstrike on the hospital “are still under review.”

Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesman, said he does not have all the information yet, and further details will be provided when possible, according to The Times of Israel newspaper.

The spokesman said that he does not know yet if the blast at the hospital was an Israeli strike.

Palestinian group Hamas called Israel's targeting of the hospital a "genocide."

The airstrike came on day 11 in the current conflict, with a growing international chorus of non-governmental groups and world leaders saying the Israeli bombing campaign on the besieged Gaza Strip - including healthcare facilities, homes, and houses of worship - violates international law and may constitute a war crime.