FOX 2 is following the very latest out of the Middle East in the war between Israel and Hamas. Hundreds of people are dead after a Gaza hospital was bombed Tuesday in one of the deadliest attacks of the war thus far.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says at least 500 people are dead following the blast.
The Israeli government denies hitting the hospital. Senior Advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Mark Regev said they are investigating the incident.
“Israel does not target places like hospitals,” Regev said. “They’re not a target for us, and we wouldn’t have deliberately hit a hospital.”
Israel continues to target Hamas militants. They’re also urging Palestinian civilians to evacuate Gaza. In central Gaza, strikes leveled an entire block of homes near a refugee camp. They also killed a top Hamas military commander. Ayman Nofal was in charge of Hamas activities in the central Gaza Strip. He’s the most high-profile Hamas militant known to have been killed so far.
Israel has blocked water, food, and fuel from entering Gaza for more than a week now. Daniel Hagarti with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they do not expect that to change any time soon.
“At this point, the gates are closed. There is no ceasefire,” he said.
Israel said they will continue to block deliveries until Hamas releases nearly 200 Israeli hostages.
Tens of thousands of Israeli troops are getting ready for a ground invasion. The United States State Department continues to offer charter flights to U.S. citizens who want to leave the area. So far, more than 1,000 Americans have evacuated.
It all comes as President Biden boarded Air Force One Tuesday, headed to Tel Aviv. It’s an historic visit for an American president to the war-torn Middle East. Due to the hospital bombing and protests in Jordan that followed, the White House announced the president would not be able to meet with Middle Eastern leaders there after all due to safety reasons. They said he is still hoping to meet with them in person sometime soon.
