Israel says deadly Gaza hospital explosion caused by Islamic Jihad

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said it had no involvement in an explosion that killed hundreds of people at a Gaza City hospital Tuesday, saying the blast was caused by a misfired missile from the Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says an Israeli airstrike caused the blast, killing some 500 people, many of whom had sought shelter from the ongoing Israeli counterattack.

The Israeli military, however, said Palestinian terrorists fired a barrage of rockets near the hospital.

“According to intelligence information, from several sources we have, the PIJ [Palestinian Islamic Jihad] organization is responsible for the failed [rocket] fire that hit the hospital,” the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement.

“An enemy rocket barrage was carried out towards Israel, which passed in the vicinity of the hospital, when it was hit,” the statement said.

As a result of the explosion at the hospital, a senior Palestinian official said President Mahmoud Abbas has canceled his participation in a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with President Joe Biden and other Mideast leaders.

Abbas was scheduled to join Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Wednesday’s summit in Amman, Jordan, where they are to discuss the Israel-Hamas war with Biden.

But the senior official said Abbas was withdrawing over Hamas’ allegation that Israel attacked the hospital.

“The president is very angry after the news of the Israeli massacre at the hospital in Gaza, and he decided to immediately return to Ramallah,” the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the cancellation has not been formally announced.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.