GAZA WAR ENTERS NEW STAGE AFTER BRUTAL HOSPITAL BOMBING

The war in Gaza entered a new stage on October 17 following an Israeli strike on a Christian-managed hospital in the Strip that resulted in a brutal massacre. More than 500 were killed in the Israeli strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital, including medical staff, patients and civilians who were taking refuge three, according to health officials in Gaza. Hundreds of others were wounded or went missing. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) warned the hospital and several others in Gaza and demanded their evacuation in the days leading to the strike. Despite this, the IDF denied responsibility for the strike, claiming that a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second largest armed faction in Gaza after the ruling Hamas Movement, was the cause of the massacre. The IDF has been amassing its forces around Gaza in preparation for a ground offensive on the Strip since the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack, which claimed the lives of more than 1,400 Israelis and left more than 3,000 wounded. More than 200 others were captured by Palestinians fighters and hundreds more are still missing. The strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital took place just hours before United States President Joe Biden was scheduled to arrive in the region and hold a summit with the leaders of Palestinian authorities, Jordan and Egypt to discuss the war in Gaza. The summit was quickly called off after the massacre and Biden headed directly to Israel. The massacre received condemnation from Arab, Islamic states and the rest of the world. However, the U.S., United Kingdom and European states refrained from holding Israel responsible. Hamas held the U.S directly responsible. In an initial reaction to the massacre, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and clashed with security forces. Mass protests were also reported all over the Arab and Islamic worlds, with protestors in Jordan attacking the Israeli embassy in Amman and others in Lebanon attempting to storm the U.S. embassy in Beirut. Protestors also attempted to storm a U.S. radar base in Turkey. Protests are expected to escalate as Hezbollah and several other Arab and Islamic parties have called for a “day of rage” on October 18. Despite the backlash, the IDF continued to launch strikes on Gaza. So far, Israeli strikes have claimed the lives of more than 3,200 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000 others. Women and children make up more than half of the dead. The plans to launch an invasion into the Strip appear to be still in the works, with observers speculating that the attack will begin after the end of Biden’s visit to Israel. Overall, the war in Gaza has entered a new stage of escalation. Flames of war could quickly spread to other parts of the Middle East. Israel’s stated goal of eradicating Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza will face more obstacles then before.