Israel Latest: Gaza Hospital Explosion Ahead Of Biden's Visit, Terrorists Discuss Possible Hostage Release

Tuesday is poised to emerge as one of the bloodiest days in the Israel-Hamas conflict, which entered its 11th day of hostilities.

• The Hamas-run health ministry reported that over 500 individuals lost their lives in an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. Hamas, in a statement, condemned Israel for the incident.

• Egypt held Israel responsible for the attack on Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan squarely blamed Israel. Qatar’s foreign ministry also released a strong condemnation of the alleged Israeli airstrike.

• The Times of Israel reported the Israel Defense Forces attributed the deadly blast at the Gaza hospital to a failed rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), based on intelligence information. According to the IDF statement, their analysis indicated the hospital was hit as a result of an enemy rocket barrage aimed at Israel passing near the hospital.

• Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day period of mourning following what he described as a hospital massacre in Gaza. A senior Palestinian official stated President Abbas has canceled his scheduled meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and other Middle Eastern leaders, which was planned for tomorrow.

• Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst at Al Jazeera, underscored the gravity of the situation, citing the bombing of hospitals, schools and apartment buildings resulting in the deaths of hundreds, if not many hundreds, of civilians within a short span of time. Bishara emphasized this constituted an ongoing massacre on a scale not witnessed since World War II.

• A Hamas representative informed NBC News the group is ready to release all civilian hostages within an hour if Israel ceases its airstrikes in Gaza.

• The National Security Council of Israel issued a travel warning, cautioning against visiting Turkey and Morocco due to concerns that Israeli travelers may become targets of individuals upset about the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

• U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressed their strong support for Israel amid the ongoing war with Hamas. They stated their intention to work together in the coming weeks to reach a bipartisan agreement aimed at providing assistance for Israel’s counterterrorism efforts.

Israeli-related stocks, as tracked by the iShares MSCI Israel ETF EIS, fell for the fifth straight day, to the lowest since mid-May 2020.

The Israeli shekel (ILS) held steady against the dollar, halting a six-day losing streak which pushed the currency to the weakest level in eight years.

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