18th October, 2023
The White House says Israel is not responsible for the bombing of Gaza hospital in which hundreds of civilians were killed on Tuesday.
Adrienne Watson, White House spokesperson, said the U.S. would continue to collect information, but said current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information, showed that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza on Tuesday.
“While we continue to collect information, our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday,” Watson said.
On Tuesday, a huge blast ripped through a crowded area at the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, sparking widespread panic.
Israel was immediately blamed by Hamas but the Israel Defense Forces said the blast was caused by a misfired Palestinian militant rocket.
The BBC reports that a range of Arab countries joined Hamas in blaming Israel for the explosion, and some Arab leaders cancelled meetings with Biden.
Israel has carried out heavy bombing across Gaza since the Hamas attacks on 7 October; militants have continued to fire rockets targeting Israel.