The United Nations on Friday called for an independent international investigation into the devastating explosion at a packed hospital in Gaza City earlier this week, as clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas escalate.
Palestinian officials in the besieged Gaza Strip blamed an Israeli attack on the al-Ahly Arab Hospital explosion, but the Israeli military blamed the explosion on a rocket fired by mistake by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group. However, the Israeli military denied this claim. Israel’s ally the United States has also held Palestinian fighters responsible, and Arab countries have condemned Israel.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said more than 470 people were killed in the explosion, but Israel claimed the figure was deliberately inflated. US intelligence estimates the number of victims to be between 100 and 300.
In the days leading up to the explosion, Israel ordered the 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip ahead of an impending ground offensive. The Israeli military specifically issued an evacuation order for Al-Ahly Arab Hospital, according to the Anglican Church, which runs the medical facility.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office said officials were trying to collect evidence on the ground, but heavy shelling and fuel shortages amid Israel’s “total siege” of the enclave were hampering efforts. .
Meanwhile, several news organizations, including Al Jazeera, analyzed video footage of the incident in recent days to piece together what happened. Al Jazeera continues to collect information, but here’s what you need to know.
what happened?
The explosion occurred at around 7pm local time (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Live footage from Al Jazeera showed a bright light rising into the sky, flashing twice, before changing direction and exploding.
An explosion is then seen on the ground in the distance, followed by a second, much larger explosion near the camera.
In the aftermath, footage and images from the hospital grounds showed about 20 vehicles destroyed in the parking lot. They were surrounded by damaged buildings, with some of the windows blown out and bloodstains on the walls and ground.
An Al Jazeera digital investigation found no basis for the Israeli military’s claim that the attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the Gaza Strip was caused by a failed rocket launch. pic.twitter.com/DQsrBXfwmL
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 19, 2023
An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad Verification Team found that Israeli statements appeared to misinterpret evidence to construct a story that one of the flashes recorded by multiple intelligence sources was a rocket misfire.
Sanad said that, based on a detailed review of all the videos, the flash that Israel attributed to an erroneous bombing was actually the result of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepting a missile launched from the Gaza Strip and destroying it in mid-air. It was concluded that this is consistent with what was done.
Channel 4 is video analysis After considering the evidence submitted by both sides, it said: “There is no evidence that air and ground explosions are necessarily related.”
So far, there appears to be no conclusive evidence to determine who was behind the second explosion that hit Al Ahly Hospital. Many organizations have suggested that the relatively small crater left by this attack does not appear to be compatible with the weapons Israel routinely fires.
However, the possibility that different types of cannons will be used cannot be excluded.
Investigative reporting organization Bellingcat identified After analyzing videos and images of the aftermath, it appears to be an impact crater. The group said preliminary analysis showed conical scars and holes in the ground surrounding one side of the crater, consistent with an ammunition explosion at the site.
Mark Garlasco, military advisor for the PAX Civilian Protection Team, said the point of impact does not appear to be consistent with the 500-pound, 1,000-pound, or 2,000-pound bombs used in Israel’s Joint Direct Attack Weapon (JDAM). It was reported that. Bellingcat report.
Channel 4 journalists who visited the site after the incident also reported seeing small craters that could withstand mortar attacks rather than missiles. Surrounding buildings sustained only superficial damage and no structures were collapsed.
The broadcaster said: “This makes an Israeli missile attack with a ground explosion less likely, but an air bomb that could cause significant loss of life but would cause much less structural damage. This does not exclude the possibility of
picture reviewed by BBCMeanwhile, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari on Wednesday revealed inconsistencies in the retelling of events presented. “A spokesperson said the shots were fired from a nearby cemetery. There is a cemetery next to the hospital. However, a map the spokesperson displayed showed a firing site further away. could not find a cemetery there,” the British network said.
The broadcaster said a key piece of evidence missing was missile debris. Often the projectile is identifiable by shell debris, which can be used to determine the origin of the projectile, but in this case no evidence has yet been found.
Is there any other evidence?
Social media accounts on both sides are being scrutinized for clues amid accusations and outrage.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad posted a message on Telegram at 7:09 p.m. on the night of the explosion, announcing that it had fired rockets into Israel just minutes after the explosion occurred.
In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, the group’s spokesperson, Musab Al-Breim, said the timing of the post does not necessarily indicate the timing of the launch.
A post sent to X by Hananya Naftali, a digital aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also raised suspicions. “The Israeli Air Force attacked a Hamas terrorist base inside a hospital in Gaza,” he wrote, a post that was almost immediately deleted.
By 10:58 p.m., Naftali apologized to X for sharing a “Reuters report” that “incorrectly stated that Israel attacked a hospital.” He said he has since deleted the tweet. “As [Israeli army] “They don’t bomb hospitals, but I thought Israel might be targeting one of the Hamas bases in Gaza,” he added.
The Israeli military also released a video recording of a conversation between people alleged to be associated with Hamas, in which they appear to discuss the rocket misfire that caused the hospital explosion.
Channel 4 said its analysis found that the authenticity of the call was questionable due to the syntax used, accent and tone of voice.
A journalist later asked Hagari at a press conference: [Israeli army] It has a less-than-perfect track record when it comes to reliability issues. ”
In his response, Hagari acknowledged previous shortcomings, but said things were different now.
