Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion

Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
Part of the Israel–Hamas war
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital is located in the Gaza Strip
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital
Location of the hospital in the Gaza Strip
Date17 October 2023
c. 6:59–7:00 p.m.[1][2]
LocationZeitoun, Gaza, Gaza Strip
Coordinates31°30′17.6″N 34°27′41.9″E / 31.504889°N 34.461639°E / 31.504889; 34.461639
Deaths
Non-fatal injuries314 (Gaza Health Ministry)[5]

On 17 October 2023, an explosion took place in the parking lot of the courtyard of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City during the Israel–Hamas war, resulting in a large number of displaced Palestinians seeking shelter there being killed or injured.

Reports of the number of deaths vary widely. Many English-language media outlets initially had reported the Gaza Health Ministry had concluded that over 500 were killed. Journalist David Zweig reported that this figure appears to have originated from a mistranslation of an Al Jazeera Arabic tweet, which is correctly translated as reporting over 500 total victims, including injuries, not 500 killed. The Gaza Health Ministry later reported a more precise figure of 471 killed and 342 wounded.[6][7][8] A report by Human Rights Watch questioned the Health Ministry's casualty figures.[9] The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, which manages the hospital, reported 200 people killed. US intelligence agencies assessed a death toll between 100 and 300.

The cause of the explosion is contested. Israel, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada said that their intelligence sources indicate the cause of the explosion was a failed rocket launch from within Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Hamas and PIJ stated the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike.[10]

Several sources considered that an errant rocket from Gaza was the likeliest explanation a week after the incident based on the evidence gathered in investigations conducted by the Associated Press, CNN, The Economist, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal.[11] In late November 2023, Human Rights Watch also stated that the available evidence made an Israeli airstrike "highly unlikely".[9] Channel 4 News investigations contested Israeli claims of a misfired Hamas rocket being responsible for the blast.[12][13] Forensic Architecture concluded the blast was the result of a munition fired from Israel,[14] and cast doubt on the errant rocket launch theory in a visual investigation published on 15 February 2024, saying that "what happened at al-Ahli remains inconclusive".[15][16]

  1. ^ Taylor, Adam (18 October 2023). "Everything we know about the Gaza hospital strike". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  2. ^ Brown, Paul; Cheetham, Joshua; Seddon, Sean; Palumbo, Daniele (18 October 2023). "Gaza hospital: What video, pictures and other evidence tell us about Al Ahli hospital blast". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  3. ^ Herb, Jeremy (19 October 2023). "Between 100 and 300 believed killed in Gaza hospital blast, according to preliminary US intelligence assessment". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Abu-Selmia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Ganguly, Manisha; Graham-Harrison, Emma; Morresi, Elena; Kirk, Ashley; Swan, Lucy (18 October 2023). "Al-Ahli Arab hospital: Piecing together what happened as Israel insists militant rocket to blame". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023.
  6. ^ Allsop, Jon (30 October 2023). "The silence and the noise". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  7. ^ Zweig, David (28 October 2023). "Did the Entire Media Industry Misquote a Hamas Spokesperson?". Silent Lunch. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  8. ^ Barnes, Julian E. (19 October 2023). "U.S. officials say the death toll from the Gaza hospital blast is between 100 and 300, according to early assessments". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b Gaza: Findings on October 17 al-Ahli Hospital Explosion - Evidence Points to Misfired Rocket but Full Investigation Needed (Report). Human Rights Watch. 26 November 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023.
  10. ^
  11. ^ Danner, Chas (23 October 2023). "Everything We Know About the Gaza City Hospital Blast". Intelligencer | New York Magazine. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  12. ^ Thomson, Alex (18 October 2023). "Who was behind the Gaza hospital blast – visual investigation". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  13. ^ Hamas says it has released two American hostages being held in Gaza. Channel 4. 20 October 2023. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ * "Two Additional Hostages Released From Gaza". New York Times. 23 October 2023. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Israeli disinformation: Al-Ahli Hospital". Forensic Architecture. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Report disputes Israel claims about al-Ahli hospital bombing". The New Arab. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.