After blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital, Hamas and Israel trade blame as rage spreads in region

Wounded Palestinians wait for treatment in al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, after arriving from al-Ahli hospital following an explosion there, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The Hamas-run Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike caused the explosion that killed hundreds at al-Ahli, but the Israeli military says it was a misfired Palestinian rocket. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

BY SAMYA KULLAB, RAVI NESSMAN, MATTHEW LEE, NAJIB JOBAIN, AND
Updated on October 18, 2023, at 9:18 AM GMT+6
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KHAN AP: YOUNIS, Gaza Strip On Tuesday, a huge explosion shook a hospital in Gaza City that was crowded with injured people and other Palestinians looking for safety, killing hundreds of people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The Israeli military blamed a missile fired by other Palestinian militants, while Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike.



The ministry reported that at least 500 individuals were dead.



Jordan's foreign minister announced that his nation canceled a regional summit scheduled for Wednesday in Amman, where President Joe Biden was to meet with Jordan's leaders. The announcement came as rage over the hospital carnage spread throughout the region and as Biden traveled to the Middle East in an effort to stop the war from escalating.