Israeli Military Presents Evidence of Palestinian Rocket Misfire Causing Gaza Hospital Explosion

In a televised English-language briefing shortly before the arrival of U.S. President Joe Biden for a solidarity visit, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, confirmed that their investigation had ruled out any involvement of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the hospital explosion. He stated, “There was no IDF fire from the land, sea, or air that hit the hospital.”

Hagari also emphasized that there was no structural damage to the surrounding buildings, and no craters consistent with an air strike. Instead, he explained that the size of the explosion was consistent with unspent rocket fuel catching fire, noting, “Most of this damage would have been done due to the propellant, not just the warhead.”

Furthermore, the Israeli military accused Hamas of exaggerating the number of casualties resulting from the explosion. Hagari stated that Hamas terrorists could not have ascertained as quickly as they claimed what had caused the blast.

The hospital explosion, which claimed hundreds of lives, has become the deadliest single incident in Gaza during the ongoing violence. This tragedy has sparked protests in the occupied West Bank and across the broader region, including Jordan and Turkey.

Hagari also disclosed that around 450 rockets fired from Gaza had fallen short and landed within the Gaza Strip during the past 11 days of conflict. He noted, “We have intelligence about communication between terrorists talking about rockets misfiring” and presented an audio recording of such a conversation with English captions.

Before the hospital blast, health authorities in Gaza reported a death toll of at least 3,000 people during Israel’s 11-day bombardment, which commenced following a Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7. The initial attack resulted in the loss of 1,300 lives and the taking of around 200 people into Gaza as hostages.

The ongoing conflict has raised concerns about the potential for a broader regional war. The United States has deployed aircraft carriers to support Israel, while Hamas terrorist allies, including Iran and Tehran’s Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, have pledged to respond should Israel launch a ground invasion of Gaza.

Recent escalations along the Israeli-Lebanese border, prompted by the October 7 Hamas attack, have been the deadliest in 17 years, leading to the casualties of several Hezbollah fighters, three Lebanese civilians, and at least three Israeli soldiers.