471 Palestinians killed in Gaza hospital bombing: ministry

At least 471 Palestinians were killed in a blast on the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

The ministry said in a statement that 471 Palestinians were killed, and more than 314 others were wounded, including 28 in critical condition.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of the ministry, also reported that 1,300 people are missing under the rubble, including 600 children.

Al-Qedra believed that there might be survivors among those stranded under rubble, but the ongoing airstrikes and limited rescue capabilities present substantial challenges to the rescue efforts.

After the deadly attack on the hospital, the death toll of Palestinians since Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza has raised to 3,478, with the number of wounded reaching 12,065, and 70 percent of the victims were "children, women, and the elderly," according to the ministry.

The ministry said that Israel carried out the airstrike on the hospital, while the Israeli military said the Islamic Jihad organization is responsible for the "failed shooting" that targeted Israel.

On Oct. 7, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched a surprise attack by firing thousands of rockets on Israeli military targets and towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting extensive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

Some 1,300 people in Israel were killed in the attacks launched by Hamas.