Posted by An attack on a hospital in Gaza resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, which escalated the situation in the Middle East and raised the stakes for Vice President Joe Biden, who was scheduled to go to Israel on Wednesday to lend his support to the country’s ongoing conflict with Hamas.
According to Palestinian sources, an Israeli air strike targeted the hospital. The health minister for the Palestinian Authority accused Israel of perpetrating a “massacre” by carrying out the attack.
Israel has blamed a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group for the explosion at the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital. However, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group has denied any culpability for the attack.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the claims being made about the calamity, which has further exacerbated an already volatile situation in the region ever since Hamas carried out an attack across the border against villages in southern Israel on October 7 in which at least 1,300 people were killed.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, stated that rescue workers were still taking bodies out of the rubble.
Al Jazeera broadcasted a video showing a chaotic scene in which rescue personnel searched through blood-stained debris for any signs of life among the wreckage.
At least four bodies were seen being removed from the scene in body bags by citizens and rescue workers.
The head of Gaza’s civil defense gave a death toll of 300, while sources within the health ministry put the number at 500.
The multifaceted diplomatic mission that Vice President Biden undertook in the Middle East was intended to bring peace to the area and strengthen humanitarian operations for Gaza.
However, after the strike, Jordan decided to cancel a summit that had been planned with the president of the United States, the president of the Palestinian Authority, and the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
In addition, Abbas called off plans to meet with Vice President Biden as Palestinian security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse anti-government protesters in the city of Ramallah located in the occupied West Bank. Popular fury was reaching a boiling point.
Protests were also held at Israel’s embassies in Turkey and Jordan, as well as near the United States embassy in Lebanon, where security forces shot tear gas toward the demonstrators. Protests also took place in Lebanon.
Before the hospital strike, health officials in Gaza estimated that at least 3,000 people had died as a result of Israel’s 11-day bombing that began following the Hamas attack. This attack took Israel by surprise and resulted in over 200 individuals being seized as hostages in Gaza.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military urged inhabitants of Gaza City to migrate southward, stating there was a “humanitarian zone” with aid available in Al-Mawasi, which is located 28 kilometers (17 miles) down the coast of the Palestinian enclave. Al-Mawasi is located 28 kilometers (17 miles) down the coast of the Palestinian enclave.
A message made by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on social media read, “The IDF calls on residents of #GazaCity to evacuate south for their protection.”
John Kirby, a spokeswoman for the White House’s national security team, addressed reporters as Vice President Biden was en route to Tel Aviv. He indicated that Biden will pose “tough questions” to Israeli authorities, but he did not provide further details.
According to Kirby, Vice President Biden will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as the Israeli military cabinet in order to gain a better understanding of Israel’s plans and goals.
“He also wants to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, where millions of Palestinians are surviving with scant food, fuel, and water as a result of Israel’s siege,” the Associated Press reported.
“He’ll be asking some tough questions, and he’ll be asking them as a friend, as a true friend of Israel, but he will be asking some questions of them,” Kirby said. “He’ll be asking some questions of them.”
It was not obvious what Vice President Biden could accomplish on his trip. According to Kirby, the president of the United States intended to have a conversation with both Abbas and Sisi on his way back to Washington.
According to Richard Gowan, director of the United Nations office of the International Crisis Group, “this kind of murky but horrific event makes diplomacy harder and increases the risks of escalation.”
In a prior statement, Vice President Biden stated that the United States did not wish for the confrontation to escalate into a wider war.
Israel has been warned of escalation by Iran, which is a supporter of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Islamist group Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon. Iran has issued this warning because Israel has not stopped its aggression against Palestinians.
Following the trading of gunfire between Israel and Hezbollah in the southern region of Lebanon, the United States Department of State advised its citizens against traveling there.
Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed his “horrification” on Wednesday about the attack on the hospital on Tuesday, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.
Guterres made an appeal to Hamas for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, and he also made an appeal to Israel to enable immediate and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for Gaza. Both of these requests were denied. (Reuters and the NAN)