IDF says Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) rocket hit Gaza hospital while firing at Israel, per Reuters

Gaza authorities claimed that an Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed approximately 500 people at a hospital in the Palestinian enclave. However, Israel contends that the blast was caused by a Palestinian barrage. This incident marked the highest death toll from a single event during the ongoing violence in Gaza, leading to protests in the occupied West Bank, Istanbul, and Amman.

Palestinian Authority's health minister, Mai Alkaila, characterized the event as "a massacre" at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital, occurring amidst Israel's intensive 11-day bombing campaign in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the attack to "barbaric terrorists" in Gaza rather than Israel's military.

Initially, a Gaza civil defense chief reported 300 casualties, while a health ministry official cited 500 fatalities. Hamas asserted that the blast primarily affected displaced individuals. Israeli Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that rockets launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group had passed near the hospital during the strike, which, according to him, targeted the facility's parking lot.