Hamas, Israel trade blame for hospital strike that killed hundreds in Gaza City

Hundreds of people were killed after an airstrike fell on a hospital Tuesday in Gaza City, Palestinian officials said, with Hamas and Israel trading blame for one of the deadliest strikes on Gaza in years.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 500 people died after a strike on al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, while hundreds more were injured, The Associated Press reported.

Hamas called the strike “a horrific massacre” caused by an Israeli strike. Israel’s military pointed blame at a “failed rocket launch” by the Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group affiliated with Hamas.

If the deaths are confirmed, it would be the deadliest strike on Gaza since 2008.

Israeli forces have been conducting massive airstrikes on Gaza in retaliation for Palestinian militant group Hamas’s surprise attack in southern Israel earlier this month.

Human rights groups and the United Nations have warned of the toll the strikes are taking on civilians, many of whom are fleeing ahead of a possible Israeli ground offensive inside Gaza.

The Palestinian Health Ministry shared several disturbing photos on social media to condemn the Israeli strikes, particularly those on hospitals.

Health officials said in a statement that “hospitals are dying” all across Gaza due to the strikes.

Other health facilities are also running out of power and supplies amid Israel’s siege of Gaza, preventing water, food and electricity from reaching critical buildings.

“Hospitals have entered the actual collapse phase due to power outages and fuel shortage,” health officials wrote on Facebook.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement Tuesday afternoon denying responsibility for the attack.

“Following an analysis by the IDF’s operational systems, a barrage of rockets was launched toward Israel, which passed in the vicinity of the hospital, when it was hit,” IDF wrote on X, formerly called Twitter.

“According to intelligence information from a number of sources we have, Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed rocket launch that hit the hospital.”

Updated at 4:51 p.m. ET