BBC state dept corr Barbara Plett-Usher:
'Even more than Joe #Biden ’s emotional words of support, the photo of him hugging the #Israeli PM #Netanyahu has placed him solidly in #Israel ’s corner at the most explosive moment in its war with #Hamas

No matter who fired the rocket which killed hundreds of people at the Al-#Ahli hospital in #Gaza , this image will reinforce Arab anger not only towards Israel, but the US.'
(Cont.)

UK PM #Sunak stmt:
“Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following #Hamas ’ horrific act of terror.

"The attack on Al-#Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict."

On Al #Ahli:
Initial evidence from the explosion at #Gaza's Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital yesterday appeared to be "inconsistent with an airstrike" and "far more consistent with a small projectile failing", says Nathan Ruser, an expert from ASPI .
Hard to attribute rhe cause of the blast without seeing details and remains of the munition used.
He told the #BBC the small crater at the scene of the explosion was inconsistent with an airstrike, as was the extent and type of damage to nearby cars
(Cont)

Recap:
US President Joe #Biden left Israel after a show of support - he will make a public address from the White House on Thursday evening

Egypt's president has agreed to open up the #Rafah crossing to allow in up to 20 trucks of #humanitarian aid into #Gaza

the huge blast that ripped through a crowded area at the Al-#Ahli hospital killed 471 people acc to #Palestinian health officials

Israel strongly denies any involvement the hospital explosion in Gaza

#Gaza hospital: What video, pictures and other evidence tell us about Al-#Ahli #hospital blast
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67144061
#Israel #hamas

Here is a quick recap of what Caroline Hawley and the BBC Verify team could establish looking at video and stills of the Al #Ahli blast and its aftermath.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65301738364b3f1612ec5679%26WATCH%3A%20What%20footage%20and%20images%20show%20about%20hospital%20blast%262023-10-18T22%3A16%3A41.862Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:ae41e417-260a-4911-b57d-2ee305138cdd&pinned_post_asset_id=65301738364b3f1612ec5679&pinned_post_type=share
#Gaza #Hamas #Israel

Inhaltswarnung: Extremely graphic content - survivors of the Ahli hospital blast talk Zum Öffnen/Schließen klicken

V Haaretz:
'The #Palestinian Islamic Jihad #PIJ rejected the #Israeli military #IDF spokesman's statement that a failed rocket launch by the militant group in #Gaza was the source of the explosion at Al-#Ahli #Hospital on Tuesday night, claiming that "the angle of the impact and the intensity of the fire proves that it was an attack from the air", adding that "Israel is spreading [contradicting] versions [of events]". (Cont.)

European Comm Pres von der Leyen has told the Eur Parliament there's no excuse for hitting a #hospital full of civilians in #Gaza , calling the Al #Ahli explosion a "senseless tragedy".

"All facts need to be established and those responsible must be held accountable," she said, without attributing blame.

Von der Leyen has faced some criticism for her visit to Israel last week, in which she did not caveat her message of solidarity by stressing Israel also had to follow humanitarian law. (Cont)

Hagari says if the #IDF was responsible for the blast there would have been a "crater" or some "structural damage".

Showing a diagram of the ( #Ahli ) #hospital, he says there is no such damage - "the walls stay intact".

He says this is because the blast was caused by an Islamic Jihad #PIJ rocket, which "failed to launch" properly and was "misfired".

As a reminder, #Hamas and #Palestinian authorities have blamed #Israel for the blast at the hospital

#IDF Hagari continues, saying #Hamas understood the blast was caused by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket, but launched a "global media campaign" to blame #Israel

"They went as far as inflating the numbers of casualties," he says. "They understood with absolute certainty that it was a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad that damaged the ( #Ahli ) #hospital ."

He says aerial footage confirms there was no direct hit to the hospital itself and there was no damage to nearby buildings.

#IDF 's Daniel Hagari says the #Israeli military has concluded the #Palestinian Islamic Jihad #PIJ group was responsible for the Al #Ahli #hospital blast.

He says a barrage of rockets were fired by #Hamas to #Israel at 18:15 local time on Tuesday - before the hospital blast.

Then, at 18:59, he says a barage of around 10 rockets was fired by PiJ from a nearby cemetery. At the same time, there were reports of an explosion at the hospital in #Gaza City, he says.

In a tweet, US President Joe #Biden said he was "outraged and deeply saddened" by the #Ahli #hospital blast - and directed his national security team to "continue gathering information about what exactly happened".

V #BBC Jeremy Bowen:
Joe #Biden ’s personal intervention was always a gamble. The destruction of Al #Ahli #hospital makes it even more difficult.

He wants simultaneously to protect and support #Israel , and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe among #Gaza ’s civilians.

Israel insists the hospital was destroyed by #Palestinian Islamic Jihad #PIJ , a faction that is smaller than #Hamas and closer to #Iran .

V #BBC Paul Adams:
Joe #Biden is due to arrive in #Israel in the coming hours. The omens for his visit could not be worse. Israel and the #Palestinians are locked in claim and counter claim about what happened last night at the #Ahli hospital in #Gaza

It’s thought that as many as 500 people were killed – patients and people sheltering in the grounds, thinking the hospital was safe.

The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas - based in the West Bank - has blamed Israel, (cont.)

Footage from #Gaza City shows chaotic scenes outside the Al #Ahli #hospital as emergency workers attended to casualties and took them to a nearby hospital.

#Hamas says an #Israeli air strike hit the hospital. #Israel says the blast was caused by rockets misfired by another group, #Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and both sides deny blame.

The #BBC is working to verify what happened.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=652f4a21364b3f1612ec551d%26WATCH%3A%20Chaos%20in%20Gaza%20after%20strike%20hits%20hospital%262023-10-18T04%3A37%3A36.782Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:9ea19005-1093-4afb-96f3-bbf7be2cebad&pinned_post_asset_id=652f4a21364b3f1612ec551d&pinned_post_type=share