BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESSUpdated 6:02 PM CDT, October 17, 2023
With airstrikes intensifying and diplomats struggling for answers, the war between Israel and Hamas raged on for an 11th day, with no refuge available from pain and grief.
Inside Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, blood-soaked victims of a devastating explosion at a nearby medical center lined the halls, desperate for care. Hamas officials said an Israeli airstrike was responsible for the blast at al-Ahli hospital, which killed hundreds. The Israeli military denied responsibility, blaming a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants.
In the Israeli city of Holon, mourners who gathered for the funeral of a young woman slaughtered during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on a music festival, wept openly and clung to one another for support.
And while the families of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza appealed to world leaders to intercede, Palestinian families locked in the enclave where supplies are running desperately low, lined up to collect water needed to survive.