The Israeli army said this Wednesday, “after careful verification,” that the explosion in a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of people was not caused by Israeli fire, but by rockets from the Islamic Jihad group, which has denied the accusations.
“We have enough information now, it took us some time, but we have to tell the truth, and it was not Israeli attacks that hit the hospital,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari stressed at a press conference after a “thorough check of surveillance systems.”
No structural damage consistent with an airstrike was found in nearby buildings or pipes, the spokesman said.
“According to our intelligence services, Hamas checked the reports and realized that it was a mistake of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and then launched a global media campaign with an inflated number of victims,” he said, as quoted by the Haaretz newspaper.
The Israeli Defense Forces released drone images to bolster its claim that it was not responsible for the massacre.
“It is impossible to know what happened as quickly as Hamas claims,” Hagari said. “That should have been the first warning sign,” he added.
In addition to the images, an audio recording of an intercepted telephone conversation was also released in which two alleged Hamas soldiers talk about the attack on the hospital. According to the Israeli forces’ own translation, one of the men tells the other that the rocket that hit the hospital belonged to Islamic Jihad.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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