The French Military Intelligence Directorate said on Friday that the explosion in a hospital in Gaza was not caused by an Israeli missile strike but was most likely caused by a mistake in launching a Palestinian rocket.
Palestinian officials said 471 people were killed in the explosion that occurred at the Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital late Tuesday.
The Gaza Ministry of Health blamed the attack on an Israeli air strike, while Israel said the explosion occurred because militants fired a missile that missed its target.
The French Military Intelligence Directorate added, “There is nothing that allows us to say that it was an Israeli strike, but the most likely (scenario) is that it was a Palestinian missile that was hit by something when it was launched.”
A French military intelligence official stated, “The nature of the explosion and communication with other intelligence partners lead me to confirm that there is no evidence that it was an Israeli strike. The most likely hypothesis is a Palestinian missile that exploded with a charge of about 5 kilograms.”
The directorate decided to publish its analyzes at the request of the French presidency, in order to ensure transparency, it said.
On the ground, the Directorate identified a gap, not a hole, one meter long, 75 centimeters wide, and 30 to 40 centimeters deep.
She explained, “It takes about five kilograms of explosive materials to create this effect, certainly less than ten kilograms.”
The official stressed that “the hypothesis of an Israeli bomb or missile is not possible, because the explosive charge for this type of weapon is no less than 250 kilograms. A missile of this type would have created a much larger hole.”
He pointed out that “the weight of five kilograms of the shipment is consistent with the rockets that the Palestinians possess or that they manufacture.”
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2023-10-20 20:58:45
