Gaza hospital blast kills 500 in apocalyptic scenes as Israel denies strike

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A hospital explosion in Gaza Citu has killed hundreds of people.

The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip claimed the deadly blast t the Al Ahli hospital was caused by an Israeli strike.

However, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) denies involvement, blaming Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) instead. They also deny responsibility.

Hospitals are currently being used to house refugees in Gaza City, with those moved inside the medical centres sheltering from bombing runs in the southern strip. Photos from the scene of the al-Ahli hospital show it ablaze and with fire engulfing the walls.

READ MORE: Hamas commanders 'training baby-faced boy soldiers to battle Israeli forces in Gaza'

For the latest news and updates from the Israel-Palestine conflict, click here.

The IDF said in a statement: "An analysis of IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit. Intelligence from multiple sources we have in our hands indicates that Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch which hit the hospital in Gaza."

Reuters news agency reports that the PIJ denied Israeli suggestions it was responsible for the blast.

Hospitals in already bombed areas were on the verge of losing power before being struck by missiles, with aid workers warning the territory is on the verge of collapse. UN workers are attempting to create an eight-mile long evacuation zone to help more than a million Palestinian refugees.

The UN has since revealed there may be more than 400,000 displaced people, crowding in schools and hospitals across the patch of land. Some are said to be scavenging for food and water as relief aid is negotiated between the US and Israel.

Members of the US team are attempting to convince Israeli forces to allow the delivery of supplies and aid to those in need. An agreement between US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in a planning phase.

The agreement would see aid delivered to areas worst affected by bombing runs on Gaza. Civilians were previously given just 24 hours to leave Gaza before the bombing started, the Daily Star reported.

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• Military
• Missiles
• Fire
• Israel
• Israel-Palestine war
• Hospital

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