- Hundreds of people wounded in the Al-Ahli Hospital blast were rushed to Gaza's main hospital.
- Overwhelmed doctors performed surgeries on hospital floors, often without anesthesia, per AP.
- It's unclear who was behind the hospital blast, with Hamas blaming Israel and Israel pointing to a group in Gaza.
Overwhelmed doctors treating victims of the explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza resorted to performing surgery on hospital floors without anesthesia, according to the Associated Press.
The blast occurred on Tuesday night, leaving a harrowing scene at the hospital, where hundreds of Palestinians had been taking refuge from Israeli bombardment.
After the explosion, about 350 wounded people were rushed to Al-Shifa, the main hospital in Gaza, in ambulances and private vehicles, according to the AP.
However, according to Al-Shifa's director, Mohammed Abu Selmia, the hospital was already overwhelmed with wounded patients when the blast victims arrived.
Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidr told the AP that some of the patients arriving at the hospital had suffered severe injuries, with some even missing limbs.
Due to the severe shortage of medical supplies and available space, doctors had no option but to perform critical surgeries on hospital floors and in hallways, AP reported.
Abu Selmia, the hospital director, stressed the urgent need for essential resources, telling AP, "We need equipment, we need medicine, we need beds, we need anesthesia, we need everything."
On Monday, British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah told BBC News that Al-Shifa Hospital was consuming a month's medical supplies in a single day.
He also said there was an "overwhelming" influx of wounded people arriving at the hospital daily, and that an ambulance of new patients seemed to be arriving at the hospital every five minutes, per BBC News.
It's unclear who was responsible for the devastating hospital blast. Palestinian authorities blamed Israel, and Israel, in turn, blamed a group in Gaza.
The Palestinian Health Ministry, which is led by Hamas, accused Israel of targeting the hospital in an airstrike, saying it killed at least 500 Palestinians.
The Israel Defense Forces said the blast was caused by a rocket misfired by the Hamas-affiliated Islamic Jihad organization.
Though a conclusive answer is yet to be reached, President Joe Biden backed Israel while speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning.
"Based on what I've seen it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," Biden said to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was also in attendance, without disclosing any evidence.
The strike on the hospital in Gaza came 10 days after Hamas launched surprise terror attacks on Israel.
The attacks on southern Israel on October 7 left more than 1,300 Israelis dead, and almost 200 taken hostage.
Since Israel launched its counteroffensive, more than 3,300 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health authorities.