Israel-Gaza updates: Biden speaks with Netanyahu about hostages' release, Gaza humanitarian assistance

The chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a statement that, based on intelligence received by the committee, they believe Tuesday's blast at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds was not the result of an Israeli airstrike.

“The Senate Intelligence Committee has received and reviewed intelligence related to the attack on al-Ahli hospital in Gaza. Based on this information, we feel confident that the explosion was the result of a failed rocket launch by militant terrorists and not the result of an Israeli airstrike," Sens. Mark Warner and Marco Rubio said in a joint statement Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner and Ranking Member Jim Himes drew similar conclusions.

"Based on information the House Intelligence Committee received from the Administration regarding the hospital attack in Gaza, we believe this was not the result of Israeli military action," Turner and Himes said.

The hospital blast killed at least 471 and injured another 314 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame for the explosion with the Israeli military claiming it was a result of a "failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization," while Hamas has said it was the result of an Israeli airstrike. Two U.S. officials told ABC News the Pentagon independently concluded the blast was likely caused by an errant Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket that fell short of its target.

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Fears of a bigger war grow after Gaza hospital strikeProtests erupted in Beirut overnight and the U.S. State Department is authorizing voluntary and temporary departure of government family members posted in the city.

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-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

A large group of protesters from Jewish Voice for Peace is demonstrating in the Cannon Office Building of the U.S. Capitol complex, calling for a cease-fire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Some are carrying signs reading, "ceasefire" and "let Gaza live.”

Some protesters have been arrested.

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Protesters on Capitol Hill call for Gaza ceasefireU.S. Capitol Police say demonstrations are not allowed inside Congressional buildings and are working to clear the crowd as individuals chant "ceasefire" around the building.

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Outside the Capitol, hundreds of protesters blocked the intersection of Independence Avenue and New Jersey Avenue, directly in front of the Capitol building.

The Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish group that combats antisemitism and other discrimination, has labeled Jewish Voice for Peace as "radical" and "anti-Israel," with views that fall outside the "mainstream Jewish community."

-ABC News' Jay O'Brien, Luke Barr and Jack Date

Archbishop Hosam Naoum, primate of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East, called Tuesday's explosion at the Al Ahli Baptist Hospital a "crime against humanity."

It's the oldest hospital in Gaza and the only Christian-led hospital in the area.

"The hospital itself is a sanctuary for people and what happened there is a crime ... a massacre," he said.

The blast killed at least 471 and injured another 314 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame for the hospital explosion with the Israeli military claiming it was a result of a "failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization," while Hamas has said it was the result of an Israeli airstrike. Two U.S. officials told ABC News the Pentagon independently concluded the blast was likely caused by an errant Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket that fell short of its target.

On the questions surrounding who bombed the hospital, the archbishop said, "What we know is what we saw on TV” and that the victims are "people of the church, not military."

"We hope that … people will come to conclusion that enough with this war, and enough with the lives that have been lost on every side," he said.

-ABC News' Emmanuelle Saliba

The U.S. on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza, with U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield saying the "resolution did not mention Israel's right of self-defense."

Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian officials both chastised the U.N. at the meeting.

Israel called it a "disgrace" that the U.N. has not condemned Hamas.

"It is really unfathomable! You cannot unite even on that basic thing," Israel Ambassador Gilad Erdan said. "Instead, the council is fixated only on humanitarian corridors and aid. These are important and noble causes, but they are certainly not a solution to prevent Hamas' next atrocious massacre."

The Palestinian ambassador said failure to demand a cease-fire is opening a Pandora's box of risk for the world.

"The events of the last 10 days may shape the next 10 years in our region and beyond. What happens next is decisive," Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour said. "Anyone thinks this is a situation under control for which you can plan and implement they are making false and irresponsible assumptions. This is the kind of war where you will know how it starts and have no clue how it ends."

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Gamal Abdel Gawad on what the Israel-Gaza conflict means for the Middle EastThe growing escalation in the region greatens the risk for a larger conflict.

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-ABC News' Brian Hartman