With @alhaq_org, we continue to monitor cases of reported attacks by Israel on medical facilities in Gaza. This task is made harder by Israeli disinformation; in the thread below, we demonstrate that Israeli media statements following the al-Ahli hospital blast were misleading.
Our 3D reconstruction and trajectory analysis confirmed reports by @nytimes and @washingtonpost: the Israeli military and media maintain that the 17 Oct blast at al-Ahli was caused by a misfiring PIJ/Hamas rocket based on 2 videos, neither of which in fact shows what they claim.
An Israeli spokesperson incorrectly points to a mid-air explosion, captured in an @AJArabic video, as the misfiring rocket that struck the al-Ahli hospital courtyard. However, it’s very likely this video instead captures the unrelated detonation of an Israeli interceptor:
Our analysis suggests the missile originated outside Gaza near a reported ‘Iron Dome’ launch site & exploded at a height of 5km, 5.7km from the hospital. Any freefalling debris from the explosion would have taken at least 30s to reach al-Ahli—but the blast occurred just 8s later.
Channel 12, a popular Israeli TV channel, cited a different video in reporting the ‘misfiring rocket’ theory. But this is another case of incorrect location and incorrect timing: the video documents an explosion which occurred 24s before the al-Ahli blast, and over 1km away.
As it stands, Israel has yet to provide any conclusive evidence to support the claim that the source of the deadly blast at al-Ahli hospital was a PIJ or Hamas rocket.
While the source of the al-Ahli blast remains uncertain, it is not unusual for Israel to attack healthcare facilities, workers, patients and health supplies. Since 7 Oct, Israel has reportedly targeted the Al-Shifa, Nasr, Rantisi and Turkish Friendship Hospitals, among others.
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