Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday lashed out at governments, the media and supporters of the Palestinian cause, who he said “unfairly” blamed Israel for Tuesday’s explosion outside a hospital. in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. officials said Wednesday that their analysis shows the Jewish state was not responsible for the explosion outside Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital.
However, those statements came almost exactly 24 hours after initial reports by several media outlets, citing the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, claimed that an Israeli airstrike had killed hundreds of people at the facility, which sparked outrage across the Middle East and beyond.
“This is what Israel is facing,” Schumer (D-N.Y.) told representatives of the Jewish Democratic Council of America during a Zoom call. “Israel did not immediately issue a statement because they were checking. They wanted the truth. Hamas immediately said: ‘Oh, the [Israel Defense Force] did.’ They lied through their teeth!
On Zoom with Jewish Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Gaza hospital explosion: “For six hours, the world unfairly blamed Israel. Now the word is spreading. “I think we all have an obligation to bring that truth to light.” pic.twitter.com/0fBLZ6uP9d
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) October 18, 2023
“For six hours, the world unfairly blamed Israel,” Schumer added. “Now the word is getting out. And I think we all have an obligation to bring that truth to light.”
Schumer added that he “regrets the loss of any life, any innocent life” in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Images from the explosion site Wednesday morning showed a damaged parking lot, although the hospital appeared intact.
تغطية صحفية: بمجزرة راح ضحيتها المئات من العائلات. pic.twitter.com/XhYKa9Sk7m
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) October 18, 2023
Palestinians check the site of the explosion at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City.AP An explosion leveled a hospital in war-torn Gaza, killing hundreds of people late on October 17.AFP via Getty Images
Hamas claimed that up to 500 people were killed in the explosion, a figure that has not been independently confirmed.
The IDF has released intercepted audio from members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad that suggests the detonation was the result of a misfired rocket.
Islamic Jihad is the second largest terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.
“They are saying this was Islamic Jihad,” one terrorist said in the video, according to an IDF translation. “It seems like it was from us, yes.”
During the discussion, the terrorists assumed that the missile remains were “local pieces, and not Israeli shrapnel,” according to the translation.
IDF spokesman Brig. General Daniel Hagari claimed that an Islamic Jihad rocket launched at 6:50 pm local time failed in flight and caused the explosion, which he said occurred at 6:59 pm local time.
“According to our intelligence, Hamas verified the reports and understood that it was an Islamic Jihad missile. [that] failed and decided to launch a global media campaign to hide what happened,” Hagari said.
Initial reports of an Israeli airstrike sparked protests in cities including New York and Berlin. Riots also broke out in the Middle Eastern cities of Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Doha and Istanbul.
While we continue to gather information, our current assessment, based on analysis of aerial imagery, interceptions and open source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the Gaza hospital yesterday.
– Adrienne Watson (@NSC_Spox) October 18, 2023
President Biden became the first sitting president to visit Israel in the middle of a war. AP
Israel has just bombed the Baptist Hospital, killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that. @POTUS This is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire and help reduce tensions.
His unique approach to war and destruction has opened many of my eyes… https://t.co/mZYoifT7bj
—Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) October 17, 2023
Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) also criticized Israel following initial reports.
“Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that. @POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire and help de-escalate,” Tlaib posted on Tuesday X.
“Bombing a hospital is one of the most serious war crimes. For the IDF to reportedly blow up one of the few places where the wounded and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific. @POTUS needs to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this massacre,” Omar wrote an hour later.
Both posts were still up Wednesday night.
Chuck Schumer has said the Senate expects a request for a supplemental aid package from the White House with support for Israel and Ukraine later this week.Getty Images
A spokesperson for Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Omar and Tlaib’s posts.
The October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel killed more than 1,400 people, including 30 Americans.
Another 13 are missing and some are being held hostage by Hamas.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn