The United States concluded that the explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, which occurred on the 17th, was due to an accidental rocket launch by a Palestinian armed group.
U.S. White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Adrian Watson said on the 18th (local time), “The U.S. government assesses that Israel is not responsible for the explosion that killed hundreds of civilians at Al-Ahlia Arab Hospital.” The United States publicly supported Israel’s claim that the explosion was caused by an accidental rocket launcher by another Palestinian armed group, Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Previously, President Joe Biden also visited Israel and said, “(The hospital explosion) appears to be the result of a rocket being mistakenly launched by a terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.”
Spokesperson Watson said, “Our assessment is based on various information, missile movement trajectories, satellite thermal images, and publicly available photos and videos of the incident scene.” A senior U.S. Department of Defense official said on this day, “Based on (rocket) launch data collected through infrared sensors, the United States is fairly confident that the launch (rocket or missile that caused the hospital explosion) was not the responsibility of the Israeli military,” according to the New York Times. (NYT) reported.
The bodies of victims who died in the bombing of Al-Hali Hospital in the Gaza Strip lie in the yard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on the 17th (local time). It is reported that at least 500 people were killed in this bombing. Hamas claims that this was the work of Israel, and Israel responds by saying that it was a mistake by Palestinians. 2023.10.18. Gaza City = AP/NewsisPalestine and neighboring Arab countries, which placed emphasis on the ‘Israeli military action’ immediately after the disaster, have not changed their position. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, called for an immediate ceasefire, saying, “Israeli forces have caused a ‘genocide.’” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who attended the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, also said, “The Israeli regime is intentionally targeting civilians. “Only the Israeli military owns the bomb used in the attack on the hospital in Gaza,” he was quoted as saying by Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
On this day, President Biden spoke on the phone with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Sisi, who is on the border with the Gaza Strip, on Air Force One, a private plane returning to the United States after a visit to Israel, and announced that 20 trucks loaded with relief supplies such as medicine, drinking water, and food would be sent through Egypt. They announced that they had agreed to send it to the Gaza Strip. Transportation is expected to begin as early as the 20th. This is the first time humanitarian aid has been provided since Israel’s complete blockade of the Gaza Strip on the 9th.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.