US President Joe Biden said the blast at a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of people was not an Israeli rocket – but was carried out by “another team”.
Biden arrived in the war-torn country this morning to show his support amid rising tensions and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Footage shows the devastating consequences of the strike at Al-Ahli Hospital
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Israel released aerial footage before and after the attack
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Biden told Netanyahu it looked like “another team” was responsible for the attackCredit: AP
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Doctors outside al-Shifa hospital after an airstrike that killed 500 peopleCredit: Getty
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US President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after landing at Ben Gurion International AirportCredit: Reuters
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Photos from inside the hospital after the strike
The US president told Netanyahu he was “saddened and furious” over the deadly blast at al-Ahli hospital, but said it appeared “another team” did it.
It came after Israeli military forces released evidence – including drone footage and audio from a wiretapped phone call – which they claim proves a terrorist group caused the blast.
The blast was initially reported as an Israeli airstrike – but Jerusalem denied it in the strongest possible terms.
And instead they blamed Islamic Jihad – another terrorist group in Gaza that is distinct from Hamas.
Islamic Jihad issued a statement in which it also denied responsibility for the massacre.
Biden added that Hamas had brought “nothing but suffering” to Palestinians and said 31 Americans were among more than 1,300 Israelis killed in Hamas’ rampage on October 7.
“Based on what I’ve seen, it seems like another team did it, not you.
“But there are a lot of people who are not sure, so we have a lot to overcome a lot of things,” Biden said.
Netanyahu thanked Biden for his “unequivocal support,” while President Isaac Herzog reportedly told him, “God bless you for protecting the nation of Israel.”
The US president was also scheduled to visit Jordan after a stop in Israel.
But the meetings were canceled after the explosion at the hospital – which Palestinian officials say killed at least 500 people.
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Israel has since cast doubt on the death toll claimed by Hamas.
The shocking photo shows a group of doctors surrounded by the bodies of dead children after the explosion.
Blood-soaked sheets covering the huge pile of victims could be seen across what was left of the hospital yard, while witnesses said the “smell of bodies” now hung in the air.
“The hospital was full of dead and wounded, dismembered bodies and dead,” said Dr. Fadel Naim, the hospital’s head of orthopedic surgery.
In a chilling report posted on Facebook, Dr. Abu Sittah wrote: “We now know that the number of those killed exceeds 500.
“This number will increase because I saw many dismembered bodies and body parts while carrying the last patient to the ambulance by the yard.
“The number of children killed exceeds 50 percent.
“I saw the body of a small child whose head was missing”.
Horror footage shows the strike sending a fireball into the sky as both sides blame their forces for the strike.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “We are working on this because someone is lying to us, Israel.”
But a spokesman for Islamic Jihad – a group that claims to be fighting Israel alongside Hamas – said this was “completely false” and accused the IDF of “trying to cover up the terrible crime and massacre they committed”.
Israel has taken the step to release drone footage that it claims shows a lack of craters or damage to buildings indicating it is not one of their weapons.
They claim the deadly explosion was the result of a failed rocket launched by Islamic Jihad.
And in shocking retaliation, the Israel Defense Forces released a recording of a wiretapped phone conversation between two Hamas operatives – who appeared to blame Islamic Jihad.
They wrote: “Islamic Jihad attacked a hospital in Gaza – the IDF did not.
“Listen to the terrorists as they understand it themselves”.
The audio begins with the first Hamas operative saying, “I’m telling you this is the first time we’ve seen a missile fall like this.”
Another militant replies: “And that’s why we say he belongs to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
The first speaker says, “What?”, before the second replies, “They say it belongs to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
“It’s from us?” asks the first Hamas operative, to which he receives the reply: “It seems so.”
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Drone footage used by the IDF to show that the rocket attack was not themCredit: ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCE
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Israel has released audio recordings allegedly wiretapped from Hamas
Speaking about the attack, former British army chief Richard Camp said there was “no doubt” that the IDF had not carried out the attack and described Israel’s evidence as “quite convincing” before adding that he “wouldn’t believe” the casualty figures released by the terror group .
He told The Sun: “In my experience, the IDF doesn’t deny doing something like this if it does.
“There have been incidents in the past, where they accidentally caused a large number of civilian casualties, and in each case, when it happened they admitted and explained why it happened
“I think there is no doubt in my mind that the IDF did not carry out this attack.”
Camp added: “There is huge public interest in something like this, which is clearly a mass casualty event – although I wouldn’t believe the casualty figures put out by Hamas.
“Hamas controls the medical authorities in Gaza, and the numbers they give are very often false, very often exaggerated.
Very often the IDF is credited with the losses caused by their own men.
Meanwhile, Iran last night threatened Tel Aviv that “time is up”, while Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, promised a “day of rage”.
The attack on the hospital sparked the anger of protesters in Jordan who tried to storm the Israeli embassy, while in Lebanon protesters clashed with security forces outside the US embassy.
Chaos reigned on the ground in Gaza as the dead and wounded were taken to nearby medical centers after the airstrike.
At Al-Shifa Hospital, dozens of bodies covered in blood-stained sheets and white plastic wrap lined the floors.
Ghassan Abu Sittah, a doctor with the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said: “We were operating in the hospital. There was a powerful explosion and the ceiling fell on the operating room.
“Hospitals are not a target. This bloodshed must stop. Enough is enough.”
The IDF said an analysis of the operational systems showed that the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad was responsible.
In a statement, the force said “terrorists fired a barrage of rockets into Gaza, passing in close proximity to Ahli Hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit.”
A spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry said: “Two hundred to 300 displaced persons were killed in occupation (Israeli) strikes on the yard.”
“Hundreds of victims are still under the rubble. The hospital housed hundreds of sick and wounded, as well as people forcibly displaced from their homes.”
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged people not to rush to judgment about the Gaza hospital tragedy amid competing claims.
Mr Cleverly pledged that the UK would work with allies “to find out what happened and protect innocent civilians in Gaza”.
He said: “Many jumped to conclusions last night about the tragic loss of life at Al Ahli Hospital.
“Getting this wrong would put even more lives at risk.
“Wait for the facts, report them clearly and accurately. Cool heads must prevail.”
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The attack on the hospital sparked protests in Jordan and Lebanon
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The footage appears to show the moment of the explosion
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The explosion caused a huge fireball and forced people to seek shelter
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education