Gaza hospital attack: IDF reveals 'evidence' of Islamic Jihad involvement
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday shared alleged "technical evidence" suggesting that the explosion at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza was the result of a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket, per ANI. Addressing a press conference, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reportedly played an audio recording of an alleged conversation between two Palestinian terrorists, admitting that the rocket was theirs. The IDF's initial investigation indicates that the rocket was launched near the hospital to attack an Israeli target.
Why does this story matter?
The airstrike reportedly killed nearly 500 people, which is the highest number of single-day casualties in Gaza during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Following the incident, Israel and Hamas both blamed each other for the strike. This comes amid Israel's deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip, allegedly to "crush Hamas leadership." Notably, the United Nations (UN) reports that over one million people have fled Gaza, while the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 115 healthcare institutions have been hit in Gaza.
Technical analysis, independent videos reportedly support IDF's claim
Hagari explained that the trajectory analysis of the rockets confirms they were fired close to the hospital. Moreover, two independent videos reportedly showed the failed rocket launch and its subsequent descent toward the ground, eventually landing within the hospital compound, he alleged. During the press conference, Hagari also played the audio recording of the conversation between the two alleged terrorists and provided an English translation.
Terrorists allegedly discussed misfired rocket in audio recording
In the audio, a terrorist says, "This is the first time that we heard a sound like this falling that's why we are saying it belongs to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. They are saying it's from us (Hamas)." Another asks, "What they are saying, it's from us?" The first terrorist then clarifies that the shrapnel from the missile is local and not like Israeli shrapnel. "But God bless, it couldn't have been found another place to explode," he adds.
Palestinian civilians paying the price for misfired rockets
Hagari said that no Israeli aircraft were operating in the vicinity of the hospital at the time of the explosion, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was to blame. He reportedly noted that around 450 rockets have misfired and fallen within Gaza during this war, with Palestinian civilians suffering the most from these incidents. The IDF spokesperson emphasized that these misfired rockets have led to numerous Palestinian casualties in recent conflicts. However, the claims have yet to be independently verified.
Claims by Israel's national intelligence agency debunked on X
Netanyahu blamed PIJ for Gaza hospital attack
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also blamed "terrorists in Gaza" for the attack, a day after Palestinian authorities accused Israeli airstrikes of killing 500 people in a Gaza hospital. He also referred to some intelligence reports allegedly confirming that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was behind the attack on the Gaza hospital. In response, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, countered Netanyahu's claims, calling him a "liar."
