The spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza claimed this evening (Tuesday) that between 200 and 300 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Ahli Baptist Hospital in central Gaza. Security sources say that the possibility that the shelling of the hospital was not done by Israeli forces is being examined. Other possibilities being investigated are the possible explosion of an ammunition depot near the hospital or that the blast was the result of a failed rocket launch, many of which are known to land in Gaza and cause civilian casualties. Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced three days of mourning in response to the initial report of hundreds killed at the hospital. The BBC network immediately adopted all of Hamas' talking points on the incident, continuing its pattern of bias against Israel. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the "Israeli bombing of the Al-Ahli Al-Mamadani hospital in Gaza which led to the death of hundreds of innocent victims and wounded among the Palestinian citizens in Gaza. Earlier, Hamas announced that Ayman Nofal, a member of the organization's General Military Council and the head of the military wing's Central Gaza Brigade, was killed in an airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp. Nofal was one of Hamas' highest-ranking military leaders and was involved in the plotting of numerous terrorist attacks against Israelis, including the abduction of Gilad Schalit in 2006. Related articles: Troops eliminate 50 terrorists, destroy kilometer-long tunnel Hamas captivity survivors take off for US Estimate: Houthis have very limited missile supply Ministers demand to cut all power to Gaza Nofal's assassination is the most significant death of a Hamas leader since the beginning of the war. Nofal was connected to all of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and was responsible for coordination between the various organizations. His elimination will make it difficult for the organization to carry out and coordinate military moves between the five Hamas divisions, but it is likely that a replacement will soon be appointed.
