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A misfired rocket launched by a Palestinian faction in Gaza was likely responsible for the al-Ahli hospital blast, according to a European military source interviewed by FRANCE 24. The death toll of the explosion, which Hamas attributed to an Israeli air strike, is likely to be lower than announced, the same source said.
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Hamas and the Israeli government have been trading blame for the deadly explosion that rocked al-Ahli hospital in central Gaza on October 17. At least 471 people were killed, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health, while US intelligence sources put the death toll between 100 and 300. Hamas officials blamed the explosion on an Israeli air strike, with Israeli authorities in turn saying the blast was the result of a misfired rocket launched by Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. Islamic Jihad has denied responsibility.
Having examined images showing the damage at the point of impact at al-Ahli hospital, a European military source interviewed by FRANCE 24 contested Hamas’s version of events, taking into account the weapons likely to have been used and the context in which the strike took place.
Satellite images of the impact appear to show little structural damage to the hospital buildings and a relatively small blast zone from the explosion. The point of impact appears to be a 30-cm-deep hole measuring roughly one-metre-by-75 cm in diameter. This damage pattern is consistent with a rocket…
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Source : france24
