Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Egypt blames Israel for blast at Gaza City hospital
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Smoke rises after Israeli air strikes in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Egypt says Israel is responsible for striking Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, which reportedly killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians.
Egypt’s foreign ministry strongly condemns the incident and says that Cairo considers this “deliberate bombing of civilians to be a serious violation of international, humanitarian law and of the most basic values of humanity.”
The IDF says it is still investigating whether its forces were responsible for the strike, or whether it was the result of a failed rocket launch or other cause.
“Egypt called on Israel to immediately stop its policies of collective punishment against the people in the Gaza Strip,” the Egyptian foreign ministry statement adds.
