A hospital in Gaza was attacked on Tuesday, causing at least 500 deaths, making it one of the deadliest single incidents of violence in the Gaza Strip. A few hours later, US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Israel to show support.
Hamas and Palestinian officials have accused Israel of launching the attack. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated that there are clear signs that the attack was caused by a mistake by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization, but the organization has denied this claim. The source of this air raid cannot be confirmed at the moment.
Al Ahli Arab Hospital was founded by British Anglican missionaries in the 1880s. The attack on the hospital caused a stir throughout the Arab world, sparked street protests, and undermined delicate diplomatic efforts to release hostages and create a safe passage for foreign people to leave Gaza. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been seeking a normalization agreement with Israel, but a royal advisor said the idea has now died.
Palestinian Authority Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said that the massacre that occurred at Al Ahli Arab Hospital is unprecedented in Palestinian history. Although many tragedies have been witnessed in past wars and days, what happened tonight is akin to genocide.