Missile that hit Gaza hospital was not an Israeli attack, analysis suggests

In the days since an explosion ripped through the crowded Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of Palestinians It is triggering disputes between Palestinian militants and the Israeli government over who is to blame, still persist.

But forensic analysis of publicly available images and footage has begun to offer some clues about what caused the explosion.

A CNN analyzed dozens of videos published on social media, broadcast live and filmed by a freelance journalist, who works for the CNN in Gaza, as well as satellite images, to piece together what happened in as much detail as possible.

Without the ability to access the site and collect evidence on the ground, no conclusions can be definitive. But the analysis of CNN suggests that a rocket fired from inside Gaza broke up in mid-air and that the explosion at the hospital was the result of part of the rocket launch at the hospital complex.

Weapons and explosives experts, with decades of experience assessing bomb damage, who analyzed the visual evidence, told CNN which they believe to be the most likely scenario – although they warn that the absence of ammunition remains or shrapnel at the site makes it difficult to be sure.

All agreed that the available evidence of damage at the site was not consistent with an Israeli airstrike.

Israel claims the “failure” of a rocket from the Islamic Jihad militant group caused the explosion, a claim that US President Joe Biden said last Wednesday was supported by US intelligence .

A National Security Council spokesperson later said analysis of aerial imagery, intercepts and open-source intelligence would suggest Israel was “not responsible.”

VIDEO – Israel did not attack a hospital in Gaza, says US report

Israel did not attack a hospital in Gaza, says US report | NOW CNN

Palestinian officials and several Arab leaders, however, accuse Israel of targeting the hospital during ongoing airstrikes in Gaza. Islamic Jihad – a rival group to Hamas – denied responsibility.

The war between Israel and Hamas has triggered a wave of misleading content and false claims online. This misinformation, combined with the polarized nature of the conflict, has made it difficult to separate fact from fiction.

See images of Israel’s war