(Ottawa) Israel is “pleased” that Canada joins the United States and France in believing that an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City last week was caused by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, Israel’s ambassador to Ottawa said Sunday.
Posted at 1:34 p.m
Mia Rabson The Canadian Press
“The loss of life at al-Ahli Arab Hospital is a tragedy that should horrify every human being and is a reminder of the dual war crimes against Palestinians and Israelis committed by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza,” Iddo Moed said in a press release release.
The rocket fired at the hospital on October 17 has become a new controversy in the war between Israel and Hamas, with both sides blaming each other for the tragedy.
Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair released a statement Saturday evening saying an independent analysis by the Canadian Armed Forces gave the government a “high level of confidence” that the missile did not come from Israel.
Canada came to this conclusion more slowly than some of its allies. During a visit to Tel Aviv on October 18, US President Joe Biden said US defense intelligence revealed that the rocket came from Gaza. France claimed that its army had come to the same conclusion on October 20.
On October 17, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Minister Blair to task the Canadian military with conducting its own assessment. On Oct. 19, he said Canada had seen “preliminary evidence” but would “take the time necessary to review it carefully” and would work with its allies to reach a clear conclusion.
The Canadian Military Assessment released its first report on Saturday. Both Mr. Blair and Mr. Trudeau were briefed on the findings before Mr. Blair released the report’s findings just before 10 p.m.
Canada has not yet accepted any specific responsibility for the origin of the missile. Mr Moed claimed he believed further analysis by Canada would also conclude the missile was fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The PIJ is the second largest armed group in Gaza, whose sole goal is a military victory over Israel in order to establish an Islamic state throughout Israel and in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel blames the PIJ for the missile, and U.S. officials told the New York Times that their preliminary evidence also points the finger at the PIJ.
“As Canada provides further updates, Israel is assured that further intelligence from the Israel Defense Forces, including the culpability of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, will be identified by Canada as the source of this war crime,” Mr. Moed said.