SNAPSHOT

New Satellite Photos Show Gaza Hospital in Wake of Devastating Explosion

The deadly explosion on Tuesday has already thrown a wrench into President Joe Biden’s whirlwind trip to the Middle East.

Fresh satellite imagery shared with The Daily Beast shows the damage unleashed in a deadly Tuesday blast at the Anglican-run al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that has upended diplomacy and further stoked tensions in the region.

Satellite images of the Gaza hospital before and after the attack show damage to the area, with a discolored area in the parking lot of the compound, likely a result of the attack, according to images Maxar Technologies shared with The Daily Beast. “No significant structural damage” to nearby buildings is observed, Maxar said.

Images emerging from the massacre Wednesday show burned out cars and a “blackened” hospital parking lot, The Washington Post reported.

The attack has killed 471 people, leaving 314 injured and 28 critical cases, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

More are expected to be found in the rubble, the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

“We received about 1300 reports of missing persons under the rubble, including 600 children,” the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Further evidence of the attack on the hospital comes as President Joe Biden is in Israel meeting with officials to discuss the Israel-Hamas war in an attempt to prevent the conflict from escalating further. Biden and Egyptian, Jordanian, and Palestinian leaders scrapped a planned summit for Wednesday following the attack on the hospital.

Israel has blamed the attack on militants, while the Palestinian civil defense has blamed it on Israel.

The Israeli Defense Forces released evidence Wednesday it says points to a failed rocket launch from militants inside Gaza.

Biden expressed support for Israel’s conclusions Wednesday.

“I was outraged and saddened by the enormous loss of life yesterday in the hospital in Gaza,” Biden said in a speech Wednesday, adding that the attack appears to be the result of errant rocket fire. “Based on the information we’ve seen today it appears the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza.”

Biden pleaded with the Israeli government to agree to allow aid workers in to Gaza to funnel lifesaving humanitarian assistance to civilians, adding that his administration will be sending $100 million in funding for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the West Bank.

“The people of Gaza need food, water medicine shelter,” Biden said. “God save those who are still in harm’s way.”

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Shannon VavraNational Security Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.