Israeli President Isaac Herzog lamented the bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City and said the explosion was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket. He also criticized media reports about the tragedy.
According to Reuters, the spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad denied that the group was responsible for the attack.
A video obtained by CNN shows the moment of the bombing, which left at least 500 people dead, according to Hamas.
“An Islamic Jihad missile killed many Palestinians in a Gaza hospital, a place where lives should be saved,” Herzog said on social media.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the bombing of the hospital was caused by a “failed rocket launch” by the radical Islamic group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Herzog also denied accusations by Palestinian officials in Gaza who blamed the explosion on the Israeli army.
“Shame on the media that swallows the lies of Hamas and Islamic Jihad – spreading a 21st century bloodbath around the world,” Herzog said. “Shame on the vile terrorists in Gaza who willingly shed the blood of innocents.”
He further added: “Never before has the choice been so clear. Israel is facing an enemy made of pure evil. If you stand for humanity – the value of all human life – you support Israel.”
An Islamic Jihad missile has killed many Palestinians at a Gazan hospital – a place where lives should be saved.
Shame on the media who swallow the lies of Hamas and Islamic Jihad – broadcasting a 21st century blood libel around the globe.
Shame on the vile terrorists in Gaza…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 17, 2023
Attack on hospital in Gaza
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says that hundreds were killed as a result of the air strike against the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital and highlights that many people still remain buried under the rubble.
“A new war crime committed by the occupation in the bombing of the Al-Ahli Arabi Hospital, in the center of Gaza City, resulting in the arrival of dozens of martyrs and injured people at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex due to the bombing”, highlights the statement, claiming that Israel would have been responsible for the case.
“It should be noted that the hospital housed hundreds of patients, injured people and people forcibly displaced from their homes due to airstrikes,” the note adds.
Hamas released a statement classifying the act as “genocide”. “The massacre at Al-Ahli Hospital, in the heart of the Gaza Strip, is a genocide. Enough silence about the aggression and recklessness of the occupation”, stated the armed group.
Israel says attack was by Islamic Jihad
The Israeli government blamed Islamic Jihad for the attack on the hospital this Tuesday (17). In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the country claims that the explosion was the result of an attack that targeted Israel but failed after launch.
Additionally, Tal Heinrich, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN that “the IDF does not target hospitals,” adding, “we only target Hamas strongholds, weapons depots and terrorist targets.”
According to the Reuters agency, the spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad denied that the group was responsible for the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamein Netanyahu, in turn, blamed “barbarian terrorists in Gaza” for “attacking” Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.
“So that the whole world knows: the barbaric terrorists in Gaza are those who attacked the hospital in Gaza, not the IDF [Forças de Defesa de Israel],” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“Whoever brutally murdered our children is also murdering your children,” he added.
*Published by Fernanda Pinotti
Source: CNN Brasil
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