Israeli Army: Explosion at Al-Shifa Hospital Caused by Misfire from Palestinian Groups

On Friday, the Israeli army responded to the explosion at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, denying any involvement and stating that a misfired projectile launched by "Palestinian terrorist groups" was responsible for the incident. The Israeli Defense Forces stated: "Thorough investigations by the Israeli army indicate that Palestinian terrorist organizations intended to target Israeli forces stationed around Al-Shifa Hospital from inside the Gaza Strip, but due to a miscalculation and faulty launch, the rocket hit the hospital." Richard Hecht, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, also told CNN: "The media office of Hamas in the Gaza Strip immediately claimed that this attack was carried out by the Israeli army, but our operational systems show that the projectile that struck Al-Shifa Hospital was fired by terrorist organizations inside the Gaza Strip." On Friday, images circulated on social media showing Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza being hit by a rocket attack. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, announced that one person was killed and several others were injured due to the attack on Al-Shifa Hospital and maternity ward. Martin Griffiths, the head of UN relief, condemned what he called a "horrific" attack on Al-Shifa Hospital, stating in a post on X: "Horrific reports of today’s attacks on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza have emerged, putting the lives of thousands of patients, staff, and displaced civilians at risk after this attack." On Tuesday, October 17, the impact of a missile on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza made headlines worldwide. Hamas initially accused Israel of attacking this hospital, but days later, evidence showed that "this explosion was caused by Hamas and the casualties were much lower than the figures reported by Hamas officials." In the terrorist attack on October 7, Hamas killed at least 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 240 Israelis and foreign nationals, including children, women, and the elderly. The United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have classified Hamas as a terrorist organization. Hamas confirmed the clashes with the Israeli army around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The Israeli army has conducted 15,000 attacks on Hamas so far; the grandson of Ismail Haniyeh was killed. Live blog: G7 foreign ministers welcome the cessation of hostilities; all hostages should be released unconditionally. The Israeli army claims to have seized important Hamas bases in Gaza and killed 150 "terrorists." The American B-21 Raider bomber capable of carrying nuclear warheads has completed its first flight.