Hamas-Israel War The explosion at the Gaza Hospital that claimed hundreds of lives was blamed by both Israelis and Palestinians.

According to Gaza's health authorities, an Israeli bombardment was the cause of the explosion. According to the Israel Defense Forces, it was brought on by an unsuccessful rocket fire by an armed Palestinian group.

After learning of the passing of a relative at the neighboring Ahli Arab Hospital, a Palestinian medic, center, and others on Tuesday at the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.Giving credit...

As Palestinians and Israelis held each other accountable for a tragedy that sparked tensions in the area just before President Biden was about to arrive in Israel, an explosion on Tuesday killed hundreds of people at a hospital in Gaza City that was crowded with people seeking shelter there, according to Gazan officials.

The explosion at the Ahli Arab Hospital was the result of an Israeli attack, according to Hamas, the organization in charge of Gaza. A few hours later, Israeli officials reported that one of the rockets fired by Palestinian terrorists at Israel had malfunctioned soon after launch, potentially leading to the bloodiest event of the 10-day conflict.

Bloodied and bruised bodies, fires, sobbing witnesses, and the blankets, bags, and mattresses of the deceased and injured strewn about them were all depicted in images and videos that were uploaded online and validated by The New York Times. Palestinian photojournalist Ali Jadallah said from Gaza City that he saw the victims, the majority of whom were dead, being transported in any available car to another hospital. According to him, many of the bodies were not whole.

"Where am I supposed to go?" a lady said in a video she took as she made her way through the hospital's debris.

Large-scale protests in Beirut and a crowd setting fire to the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan, were among the incensed reactions sparked by the photographs, Hamas's quick accusations of Israel, and the Israeli government's tardiness in issuing denials.

The head of the Palestinian sovereignty, Mahmoud Abbas, canceled a trip to Jordan, where he was supposed to meet with Mr. Biden. The Palestinian Authority has little sovereignty over the West Bank. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry, which was considering formal diplomatic ties with Israel, attributed the slaughter on "the forces of the Israeli occupation."

Tuesday night, the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the explosion at the hospital was the consequence of an unsuccessful rocket fire by Islamic Jihad, a Hamas-affiliated organization. The claim was refuted by Islamic Jihad.

Previously, rockets fired by armed Palestinian organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, have occasionally malfunctioned and struck residential areas.

The Gaza health ministry then revised the death toll from 500 or more to "hundreds," according to a spokeswoman for the ministry. Although an impartial confirmation of the amount was not possible, witness testimonies and photographs from the Anglican-run hospital indicated that it was high.

The disaster immediately raised the stakes for Mr. Biden. In an attempt to diffuse the tension, he is expected to travel to Israel on Wednesday and meet with regional leaders. The leaders of Jordan and Egypt, as well as Mr. Abbas, were scheduled to meet with him in Amman later on Tuesday, but the meeting was called off.

Just before taking out on Air Force One for Israel, Mr. Biden conveyed his astonishment and profound regret over the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza and the horrible death toll that followed. He said he had instructed his national security personnel to look into what had happened.

Israeli aircraft have been bombarding Gaza in reprisal for the murder and kidnapping of Israelis by Hamas on October 7. In addition to displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and killing or injuring thousands more, the bombing campaign and Israel's order to leave northern Gaza, including Gaza City, have left people in the region critically low on supplies of food, gasoline, water, and medical supplies.

Fights over food were occurring, people were sleeping in the streets after fleeing their houses, and hospitals were finding it harder and harder to treat the influx of injured patients. After more than a week of international negotiations, no deal has been reached to release some individuals, enable the entry of essential supplies, or establish safe areas for civilians in Gaza, where over two million people remain stranded in increasingly dangerous circumstances.

Human rights and humanitarian organizations have intensified their criticism of the Israeli airstrikes and the evacuation order. Israeli officials maintain that they are targeting Hamas officials, weapons stores, tunnels, and safe homes, all of which are intricately linked to Gaza's civilian infrastructure. They do not dispute that they have struck residential buildings and mosques, nor that they have killed and injured noncombatants.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' office cited "daily indications of violations of the laws of war and international human rights law" in Israel's campaign in Gaza prior to the hospital explosion in Gaza City. The statement released on Tuesday said that ordering people to evacuate northern Gaza may be interpreted as a forceful transfer of population, which is illegal under international law.