Lots of stuff happening here, so I'm going to try to sift through the facts as best as possible without trying to spin anything.
There was reportedly an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike that killed hundreds of people. CNN is saying between 200 and 300, the BBC is reporting 300, and other outlets are claiming 500.
I'm going to show you a purported video and picture showing the explosion/strike (keep in mind that the following Twitter accounts are anti-Israel):
More:
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said there were still no details on the hospital deaths: "We will get the details and update the public. I don't know to say whether it was an Israeli air strike."
This is war, so if it was an airstrike and a bunch of civilians were killed, I'm in doubt that that information will be released anytime soon.
A few things for context as you sift through accounts trying to prod your emotions:
- Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (the same thing, essentially) regularly use hospitals and schools to house weapons and fighters. They do this on purpose to hide behind children and the infirm.
- All reports of deaths are coming from the Palestinians; it will be hard to verify who/how many died, whether Israel gave prior warning as it usually does, how many actual patients were in the hospital vs. armed fighters, and whether the explosion was the result of an airstrike or sabotage by Hamas to make the Israelis look bad.
We'll update you with more information as more information comes to light showing what happened as the Israeli offensives ramps up in Gaza.
UPDATE: 3 p.m. EST:
Israel released a video claiming that the explosion was caused by a failed rocket launched by Hamas.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
