Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that a misfired rocket likely caused the deadly explosion at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza on October 17. This incident, which sparked widespread condemnation in the Arab world, was initially attributed to an Israeli airstrike by Palestinians, while Israel blamed a Palestinian rocket malfunction.
Gaza’s health ministry reported 471 fatalities, a figure contested by Israel. A U.S. intelligence report estimated deaths between 100 to 300. HRW’s investigation, involving photo and video analysis, satellite imagery, and interviews, indicated the explosion was caused by a rocket-propelled munition, typically used by Palestinian armed groups.
The Al-Ahli hospital incident, one of the most controversial in the recent conflict, saw accusations of disinformation and war crimes from both sides. Hamas official Basem Naim criticized the HRW report as biased towards Israel, noting the absence of concrete evidence or independent military expert opinions. He mentioned Hamas’s willingness to cooperate with international investigations in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry’s Emmanuel Nahshon expressed dissatisfaction with HRW’s delayed findings. HRW highlighted the unusually high death-to-injury ratio and called for both Gaza and Israel to release evidence for a comprehensive investigation. Amidst the ongoing conflict, hospitals in northern Gaza have been severely impacted, with accusations from Palestinians of Israeli targeting and Israel’s claims of Hamas using civilians as shields.
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