US Determines Israel Not Behind Gaza Hospital Explosion
The US government has concluded that Israel was not responsible for the recent explosion at a Gaza hospital. This assessment was announced by the National Security Council (NSC) and aligns with President Joe Biden's remarks attributing the strike to a Palestinian militant group.
Adrienne Watson, an NSC spokesperson, clarified that the assessment was based on a combination of intelligence reports, missile activity data, and publicly available videos and images related to the incident. Watson stated, "Our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts, and open-source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza."
Further supporting this assessment, the NSC released an additional statement indicating that intelligence suggests Palestinian militants in Gaza believed the explosion resulted from a misfired rocket or missile by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group. Israeli officials have also shared audio recordings purportedly of Hamas militants discussing the incident and attributing it to a rocket launched by PIJ.
Separate sources informed CNN that preliminary evidence from the US intelligence community points to the hospital strike originating from a rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. One significant piece of evidence is a blast analysis indicating the explosion started at ground level, consistent with a rocket malfunction rather than an aerial strike.
However, this blast analysis is just one factor under consideration. The intelligence community, which has increased its intelligence collection efforts in the region, is still gathering evidence and has not made a final determination. The initial US assessment utilized overhead imagery from US satellites and intelligence intercepts provided by Israel.
The investigation's accuracy is somewhat limited due to restricted access to the blast site and the inability to analyze the remains recovered. Typically, FBI teams can quickly identify the type of rocket fuel and explosives used by examining samples from the scene. Without direct access, US officials must rely on signals and other intelligence forms, which, while compelling, are not conclusive.