Israel denies involvement in Gaza hospital blast, says explosion caused by Palestinian rocket

The Israeli military said Palestinian militants had fired a barrage of rockets near the hospital at the time

An injured person is assisted at Shifa Hospital after an Israeli air strike hit the nearby Al-Ahli Hospital, according to Gaza Health Ministry in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on October 17, 2023. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Khan Younis (Gaza Strip)

The Israeli military says it had no involvement in an explosion that killed hundreds of people at a Gaza City hospital and that the blast was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

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

The Israeli military, however, said Palestinian militants had fired a barrage of rockets near the hospital at the time.