The Israeli military on Wednesday said it had no involvement in an explosion that killed over 500 people at a Gaza City hospital. IDF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari claimed the blast was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

However, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said an Israeli airstrike caused the blast, and that it killed some 500 people, many of whom had sought shelter from an ongoing Israeli offensive.

“I can confirm that an analysis by the IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, at the time it was hit. Intelligence from a few sources indicates that Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch which hit the hospital in Gaza, This is the responsibility of Islamic Jihad that killed innocents in the hospital in Gaza,” said the IDF Spokesperson.

Jordan cancels summit

News agency Reuters quoting Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, Jordan King Abdullah cancelled a summit in which the King was schedule to host in Amman on Wednesday with U.S. President Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders to discuss Gaza.

Joe Biden’s reaction on hospital attack

On the hospital explosion in Gaza, US President Joe Biden said he was outraged and deeply saddened by the death of the civilians.

“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted. Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened. The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy,” Biden added.

Palestinian President cancels meeting with Biden: Sources 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has cancelled his participation in a meeting scheduled on Wednesday with President Joe Biden and other Mideast leaders, sources said.

Abbas was scheduled to join Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Wednesday’s summit in Amman, Jordan, where they are to discuss the latest Israel-Hamas war with Biden. But the senior official said Abbas was withdrawing to protest an alleged Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the cancelation has not been formally announced.

Earlier, the Palestinian health ministry reported that 200 people were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the hospital in Gaza City, where hundreds of people have been taking shelter amid a severe humanitarian crisis.

Pictures sent to AP reportedly showed fire engulfing the hospital halls, shattered glass and body parts scattered across the area. 

(With agencies inputs)

Also read: Hamas claims Israeli airstrikes killed 500 people at hospital in Gaza Strip

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