The recording shows two Hamas fighters talking about the incident in which 500 people were killed
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published this Wednesday (October 18, 2023) on its profile on the Gaza Strip.
In the audio recording, members of the extremist group confirm that the missile is similar to those used by Islamic Jihad. “I say this is the first time we have seen such a rocket fall and that is why we say it belongs to Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” said one of the Hamas members.
Watch (1 min 12 sec):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgeEpc3cM
Israel claims in photos and videos that the explosion that hit the hospital was caused by a rocket belonging to the Islamic Jihad group, which failed to launch and killed 471 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry controlled by Hamas.
The country also says Hamas knew Islamic Jihad was responsible for the blast and lied to pin the blame on the Israelis.
According to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, the country’s intelligence agency concluded that Hamas had reviewed the case reports and “understood that it was an Islamic Jihad rocket that had failed.”
The group then decided to launch a global social media campaign to “hide what really happened.” Read the full text of Hagari’s statement in English (PDF 262 kB).
Speaking to Portal news agency, Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shehab denied responsibility for the explosion. He called the Israeli accusations a “lie” and a “fabrication.” “The occupation is trying to cover up the terrible crime and massacre they have committed against civilians,” he said.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
An explosion occurred at AlAhli Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday (October 17). The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Wednesday that 471 people had died.
Hamas blamed Israel, saying in a statement that the explosion was a crime of “genocide” and “reveals the ugly side of the enemy and its fascist and terrorist government.” He also stated that the case “exposes North American and Western support for the criminal occupation.” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning.
