Israel, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Who Attacked Al-Ahil Hospital in Gaza?

President Joe Biden blamed the attack on "the other side" on the basis of "data" from the US Defense Department.

Close to 48 hours after a deadly blast at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, which killed close to 500 Palestinians and left 314 wounded, both Israel and Palestine, along with their respective allies, traded bitter recriminations for the attack.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Close to 48 hours after a deadly blast at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, which killed close to 500 Palestinians and left 314 wounded, both Israel and Palestine, along with their respective allies, traded bitter recriminations for the attack.

This comes amid the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which entered its 12th day today.

While Palestinian officials blamed an Israeli airstrike for the explosion, Israel has said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by another militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), who denied the blame. Israel too has also denied involvement.

Amid the claim and counterclaim, the timeline of events remains murky. This is not the first time authorities in Israel and Gaza have given completely different accounts of an explosion.

Here's what we know:

What Has Israel Said? 

As images and videos of the blast began flooding Telegram groups, Hananya Naftali, a digital aide to Netanyahu, posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and said:

“Israeli Air Force struck a Hamas terrorist base inside a hospital in Gaza."

However the post was almost immediately deleted, Al Jazeera reported.

Subsequently, Naftali apologised on for sharing “a Reuters report” which “falsely stated Israel struck the hospital" and claimed that he had since deleted the tweet.

“As the (Israeli army) does not bomb hospitals, I assumed Israel was targeting one of the Hamas bases in Gaza,” he said.

The Israeli army had also published a post blaming the PIJ for the attack, caused by a misfired missile and said, "From the analysis of the operational systems of the Israeli Defence Force, an enemy rocket barrage was carried out towards Israel, which passed through the vicinity of the hospital when it was hit."

"According to intelligence information, from several sources we have, the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed shooting that hit the hospital," it added, along with an alleged clip of the attack. However, the post was subsequently edited and the video was removed.

During a press conference, the Israeli military asserted that PIJ militants had launched a series of rockets in close proximity to the hospital. They cited "intelligence from various sources" to support the claim of responsibility attributed to the group.

However, many pointed to comments made by Netanyahu spokesperson Tal Heinrich, who claimed to CNN that the Israeli army "does not target hospitals."

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that as of the night of the explosion, there had been more than 51 reported attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza since the conflict began on 7 October.

A senior health official in Gaza further told Al Jazeera that Israel had fired two artillery shells as a "warning" at al-Ahli Arab Hospital a few days prior to the explosion.

Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesperson of the Israeli army, emphasized that there were no reported air force, ground, or naval assaults in the hospital's vicinity at the time of the explosion.

He further stated that radar systems had identified outgoing rocket fire concurrently and intercepted communication among militants discussing the Al-Ahli Arab hospital attack.

The nature of the crater left after the explosion has also caused a back-and-forth. While the IDF says that the absence of a large crater or blast damage to nearby buildings proves that they were not behind the attack, several experts on social media have disputed the claim.

The Israeli army attributed their claim to an audio wherein two men, allegedly Hamas militants, can be heard discussing the event. The militants allegedly mention that the missile in question belongs to the PIJ and was launched from a cemetery locate

However, The Quint has not been able to independently verify claims regarding the damage caused by reported craters matching those created by an Israeli missile, or the alleged audio claiming to be a conversation between two Hamas militants.

What Has the 'Other Side' Said? 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad:

PIJ members were allegedly involved in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October, denied that an errant rocket from its arsenal had struck the Al-Ahli Arab hospital.

Musab Al-Breim, a PIJ spokesperson, told The New York Times that the capability of their weapons supply was considered "primitive."

In a statement issued on Tuesday, 17 October, that the militant group argued that video footage and the scale of the destruction indicated that the blast resulted from an Israeli aerial bombardment.

The group's military wing posted a message on Telegram, reported by The New York Times, on the night of the explosion, claiming responsibility for firing a barrage of rockets toward Israel — just minutes after the hospital blast occurred. However, the PIJ spokesman clarified that the timing of posts did not always align with the timing of actual launches.

He also acknowledged that errant rockets from the military wing had regrettably caused harm to Palestinians in the past. "We have made mistakes, I am not going to deny it," he said. "However, not mistakes of this size."

Hamas:

Hamas stated that the explosion was, in their view, a result of an Israeli airstrike, which they described as a "horrific massacre" and "a crime of genocide."

The Ahli Arab Hospital had previously been hit by rocket fire on 14 October, as reported by the Gazan health ministry. Anglican Church to The Times confirmed that four staff members were injured in that incident.

Yousef Abu al-Rish, the senior official of the Gazan health ministry, stated at a press conference on Tuesday night that the Israeli military had contacted the hospital director, asserting that the earlier blast was a warning to evacuate.

On Wednesday, Archbishop Naoum of the Anglican Church said that the Israeli military had called and sent messages to the hospital managers on at least three occasions in recent days, urging patients and staff to leave the hospital premises, the report added.

Archbishop Naoum further clarified that these warnings were specific to the hospital and not part of Israel's broader effort to encourage civilians to relocate from northern Gaza to the southern territory.

Lt Col Amnon Shefler, an Israeli military spokesperson, explained to the newspaper that the calls to the hospital were part of a larger campaign to prompt civilians to leave northern Gaza in anticipation of an Israeli invasion. He emphasized that the hospital was not a target for the military.

The Doctors

In the aftermath of the explosion, doctors convened for a press conference outside the Al-Ahil Arab hospital on 17 October, the room hauntingly surrounded by lifeless bodies across the floor.

The hospital had come under attack just the previous week, resulting in damage reportedly to the upper level of the recently established diagnostic center and the ultrasound equipment in the mammography room on the second floor.

Administrators of the hospital had taken it upon themselves to caution people about the Israeli directive to evacuate the area. Archbishop Naoum emphasized, "We had a moral obligation. We told them it is important you know what is taking place, but they have nowhere to go."

The 'American' Evidence

A day after the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry claimed that Israel had attacked the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which reportedly killed 500 Palestinians, Israeli and US officials, along with experts, stated on Wednesday that available evidence indicates the destruction was caused by a failed Palestinian terrorist rocket launch.

US President Joe Biden, during his visit to Israel, stated, "Based on the information we've seen today, it appears to be the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza" and blamed the attack on "the other side."

While Israeli officials asserted that they could provide evidence by declassifying intelligence regarding the blast, President Biden stated that he arrived at his conclusion on the basis of "data" provided by the US Defense Department.

The Pentagon independently concluded that the blast at the Gaza hospital was likely caused by a PIJ rocket that fell short of its target, two US officials told ABC News.

"Intelligence indicates that some Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip believed that the explosion was likely caused by an errant rocket or missile launch carried out by Palestinian Islamic Jihad," White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, adding that the US is still working "to corroborate whether it was a failed PIJ rocket."