The Church of England's spiritual head said on Sunday he had "no idea" how many people died in last week’s explosion at an Anglican hospital in the Gaza Strip, and said that assuming Israeli culpability could be tantamount to antisemitic libel, Reuters reported.
Hamas claimed last week that Israel had struck the Ahli Baptist Hospital in central Gaza. However, the IDF later presented proof that the hospital was hit by an Islamic Jihad rocket.
The Gaza health ministry has put the hospital death toll at 471. An Israeli official said it appeared to be "several dozen". A US intelligence report estimated the number of those killed to be "probably at the low end of the 100 to 300 spectrum".
Asked during a visit to Jerusalem on Sunday if he could corroborate a figure for the fatalities, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told reporters, "I have no idea about how many civilians there were. I've heard so many numbers."
"What I have said to people, publicly, is: 'Don't assume it's Israel. You have no proof that it's Israel. Many people have made a clear case it's not. At the very best, do not start propagating another blood libel,'" he added.
The Israeli account has been supported by US, French and Canadian analyses. Many media outlets were quick to believe Hamas’ claim and blame Israel, but some have walked back their initial claims.