Early US and Israeli Intelligence says Palestinian group caused hospital blast
The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive information, said they were basing their early analysis on multiple strands of intelligence indicating that the blast at Ahli Arab hospital was caused by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group allied with Hamas.
The group said Israel's accusations that one of its rockets malfunctioned and hit the hospital were «false and baseless.» Hamas has not provided any documentation of Israeli involvement.
The officials cautioned that the analysis was preliminary and that they were continuing to collect and analyze evidence. Neither side's claims about who was responsible have been independently verified.
The American intelligence, first mentioned by President Joe Biden, includes satellite and other infrared data showing a launch of a rocket or missile from Palestinian fighter positions within Gaza.
U.S. intelligence agencies have also analyzed open-source video — recordings collected by journalists and others — of the launch showing that it did not come from the direction of Israeli military positions, the officials said.
Israeli officials have also provided the United States with intercepts of Hamas officials saying the strike came from forces aligned with Palestinian militant groups.
«The U.S. government assesses that Israel was not responsible for an explosion that killed hundreds of civilians yesterday at the Al Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip,» said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council.
