The world reacted in horror to the deaths of hundreds of people at the al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City after an explosion rocked the premises.
Palestinian militant group Hamas immediately accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike and committing a “massacre” of its people, with Arab nations soon lambasting Israel.
However, Israel’s military and the U.S. said evidence showed the blast likely was the result of a misfired rocket from Palestinian militants.
- The U.S. and Israel have provided evidence, including audio and video, to buttress the claim of a misfired rocket.
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President Biden on Wednesday said he “was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza” but said U.S. intelligence shows it was a failed rocket.
Still, the evidence will likely do little to ease tensions.
The explosion sparked protests across the Middle East, including in Jordan, where King Abdullah II canceled a summit with Biden.
The Arab Group, made up of 22 members, gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday to express anger and call for a ceasefire.
“The Arab Group condemned the brutal attack committed by the Israeli occupation against defenseless civilians,” read a statement from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.
“Truth is the first casualty of war,” Steve Simon, a former White House advisor on the Middle East, told The Hill.
Read the full coverage of the Israel-Hamas war at TheHill.com.
