Human Rights Watch Reveals Fatal Gaza Hospital Explosion Likely Triggered By Misfired Rocket 'Commonly Used By Palestinian Armed Groups'

In a new development, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has indicated that a fatal explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza was likely due to a misfired rocket.

What Happened: HRW’s investigation unveils that the devastating blast at the Gaza-based Al-Ahli hospital on Oct. 17, was presumably triggered by a rocket that failed to launch correctly, Reuters reported.

“The explosion that killed and injured many civilians at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on October 17, 2023, resulted from an apparent rocket-propelled munition, such as those commonly used by Palestinian armed groups..,” HRW said.

The explosion incited outrage across the Arab world, with Palestinians blaming an Israeli air strike and Israel countering with claims of a misfired Palestinian rocket. The Gaza health ministry reported a death toll of 471, a figure contested by Israel. An unclassified U.S. intelligence report estimated the fatalities to be between 100 to 300.

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HRW, basing its conclusions on an examination of photos, videos, satellite imagery, and witness testimonies, stated that the death and injury count seemed “out of proportion” to the visible damage at the site. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, challenged the report, calling it biased towards Israel and lacking solid evidence.

“HRW hasn’t come up with any evidence to support their findings nor eyewitness testimonies nor opinion of independent military exports,” he said.

He added that Hamas received questions from HRW two weeks ago but asked it to delay its report until after the war had ended.

Conversely, Emmanuel Nahshon, Israel’s Foreign Ministry’s deputy director general for public diplomacy, criticized HRW’s delay in releasing its findings.

Despite the ongoing controversy, HRW is advocating for a comprehensive investigation, urging both Gaza and Israeli authorities to disclose all relevant evidence relating to the Al-Ahli hospital explosion.

Why It Matters: This latest development follows a tragic event in October when a massive explosion at a hospital in Gaza City reportedly caused hundreds of fatalities. The explosion sparked a dispute between the Israelis and Palestinians over the cause of the incident. While Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike for the disaster, the Israeli military countered that a misfired rocket by Palestinian militants was the trigger.

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