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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Wednesday, October 18th. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show, the deadly blast at a Gaza hospital, and what it means for President Biden's visit to the Middle East.
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Hundreds of people are dead in the blast at a hospital in Gaza yesterday. Health authorities on the ground count at least 500 people killed. Al-Ahli Arab Hospital was full of civilians, those too sick or injured to evacuate the area, as well as displaced people looking for safe shelter. A survivor, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah with Doctors Without Borders, was on "NBC."
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Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah: There was an almighty missile shriek and then a big thud. And the whole ceiling in the O.R. fell on top of us. There are lots of children, very young children, whose bodies were laying on the floor.
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During times of conflict, hospitals and medical personnel are supposed to be protected under international humanitarian law.
There are a lot of conflicting claims as to what happened, so we're going to go slowly through what's known, and point out where accounts and accusations differ. Palestinian officials say the hospital was hit by an Israeli airstrike. It was in an area that the Israeli military had told civilians to evacuate, an order that the WHO called "impossible" for the hospital to carry out, given the critical condition of many patients and lack of alternatives.
Israel says the hospital was hit by rocket fire from Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group that's smaller than Hamas. Israel says its radar detected rockets firing from inside Gaza at the time. Islamic Jihad says those claims are false, that the angle of the strike and the scale of the destruction point to an Israeli attack.
The deadly explosion and waves of new civilian deaths come as President Biden is taking meetings in the region. He touched down in Israel today, as planned. But in the wake of the hospital blast, Jordan canceled a planned summit that would've included Biden and Arab leaders in the region, from Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority, a group separate from Hamas.
Earlier, Biden said he was, quote, "outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion." After arriving in Israel, Biden acknowledged that many people weren't sure what happened, but that he has reason to believe Israel was not responsible. His administration has spoken about the need for all sides to protect civilian life, but also consistently supported Israel's right to retaliate in Gaza for Hamas's October 7th attacks on Israeli civilians.
One phrase you might be hearing a lot more of, especially in the wake of the hospital blast, is "fog of war." That is, the initial uncertainty about important facts in the midst of conflict. In this case, with the Israeli government and Palestinian militant groups blaming each other, an independent assessment of the damage to the hospital is needed to determine responsibility.
Even if there's eventually consensus about the deadly blast, the blame being traded right now is already having a wider effect. Protests are breaking out across the Arab world, with demonstrators blaming Israel for the hospital deaths. The regional situation is much more tense and dangerous than when the White House originally planned Biden's trip. The visit was intended to show American support for Israel. It was also to ease tensions in the region, work with Arab leaders, and open up the possibility of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, and evacuating Americans who are still trapped there. But the latest deadly events make Biden's mission much harder.
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Even before the deadly hospital blast, the situation in Gaza was already complicated by the fact that hostages are still being held by Hamas militants. Hamas says it and other militant groups are holding 250 people captive. Israel's military has a slightly lower number. Most are Israelis, but there are said to be a few American hostages and other nationalities held in that group. After Hamas released a video of a French-Israeli hostage, 21-year-old Mia Shem, her mother spoke out.
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Keren Sharf Shem: I'm begging the world to bring my baby back home. She only went to a party, to a festival party to have some fun. And now she's in Gaza. And she's not the only one.
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Qatar has been playing a key role as a mediator in the hostage negotiations with Hamas. It has good relationships with leaders in Gaza, and has worked closely with the U.S. on hostage negotiations in the past. But the outrage over the deaths at the hospital in Gaza is bound to complicate any potential release deal.
Israel has historically swapped Palestinian prisoners to release hostages, sometimes releasing hundreds of Palestinians per Israeli captive set free. But "Bloomberg" reports that there have recently been some questions inside Israel about this policy. Some think Israel has given away too much to get Israeli prisoners home. And in some cases, detainees who were set free went on to take up arms against Israel. One prisoner released in 2011 was Yahya Sinwar, now a top Hamas commander. Israel believes that he planned the October 7th attacks. He's now a leading target for Israel's military.
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Now, let's take a quick look at some other stories in the news.
There's another vote for Speaker of the House expected today. Yesterday Jim Jordan failed to win enough support of fellow Republicans to get the job. After the loss, Jordan said he was ready to keep going for as many rounds of votes as it takes.
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Jim Jordan: I've had great conversations, great discussions with our colleagues. And frankly, no one in our conference wants to see any type of coalition government with Democrats. So we're gonna keep working and get to the votes.
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In legal news, Alec Baldwin may face new charges tied to the deadly shooting incident on the set of the Western movie "Rust." New Mexico prosecutors say there's new evidence in the case that they plan to present to a grand jury. Earlier charges of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin were dropped. In 2021, Baldwin was holding a prop gun that went off on set, killing the cinematographer and wounding the director. Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, and sued people he holds responsible for giving him a loaded gun.
And in Georgia, state investigators are looking into the death of Leonard Allan Cure, a Black driver shot by a deputy in a traffic stop. Cure once spent 16 years behind bars for a Florida crime he was ultimately exonerated for in 2020. The Innocence Project of Florida says Cure had been doing well since his release, with plans to attend college.
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You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already in the News app right now, take a listen to a narrated article from "TIME" Magazine about Martin Scorsese. Ahead of his new film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," the legendary director talks about making it, and where it fits in his legacy.
If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow "Apple News+ Narrated" to find that story.
Enjoy that listen, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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