The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 500 people were killed Tuesday by an airstrike that hit a hospital compound in the center of Gaza City. Its claims have not yet been independently verified, and Israeli officials say they believe it was a rocket from Hamas or Islamic Jihad that fell short and struck the site.
News of the attack came as President Biden was preparing to head to Israel for a visit Wednesday to deliver a message of support to a key U.S. ally following Hamas’ terror rampage in southern Israel. Mr. Biden is “coming here at a critical moment for Israel, for the region, and for the world,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday during his second visit to the Jewish state in a week.
Blinken also said the U.S. and Israel had “agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multinational organizations to reach civilians in Gaza,” the small, densely packed Palestinian territory that has been run by Hamas for almost two decades. Relentless Israeli airstrikes and a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, imposed by Israel in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, have driven roughly half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents from their homes and created a humanitarian crisis as food, fuel and water all run desperately short.
Palestinian officials say Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed about 3,000 people and wounded around 12,500 others, a majority of them women and children. In Israel, officials say Hamas’ siege and ongoing rocket attacks have killed some 1,400 people and wounded 3,500 others. Hamas is said to be holding almost 200 hostages, including Israeli troops and civilians.
Thirteen U.S. nationals remain unaccounted for after the Hamas raids in Israel and 30 U.S. citizens have been confirmed killed. As many as 600 U.S. nationals are thought to be among the hundreds of thousands of people trapped in Gaza.