Islamic Jihad Responsible For Failed Rocket Launch That Hit Gaza Hospital: Benjamin Netanyahu

TEL AVIV: In the aftermath of a tragic rocket attack on a Gaza hospital that resulted in a reported death toll of at least 500 individuals on Tuesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attributed the mishap to Islamic Jihad, branding it a "misfired" rocket causing extensive casualties. In response to the incident, PM Netanyahu conveyed that Israel Defense Forces' operational systems indicated that the rockets were fired by Gaza-based terrorists.

Netanyahu elaborated that intelligence from multiple sources pointed to Islamic Jihad's involvement in the unsuccessful rocket launch. He emphasized this in a social media post, stating "An analysis of IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit."

An analysis of IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit.

Intelligence from multiple sources we have in our hands indicates that Islamic Jihad is… — Benjamin Netanyahu - (@netanyahu) October 17, 2023

The Israeli leader also stated: "The entire world should know: It was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF. Those who brutally murdered our children also murder their own children." 

The entire world should know: It was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF.

Those who brutally murdered our children also murder their own children. — Benjamin Netanyahu - (@netanyahu) October 17, 2023

IDF Denies Targeting Gaza Hospital

Supporting this assertion, the spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces corroborated the information. According to the IDF's operational system analysis, enemy rockets were aimed at Israel and inadvertently passed near the hospital when the incident occurred. Based on intelligence from various sources, Islamic Jihad was identified as responsible for this failed rocket launch that tragically impacted the hospital.

IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari confirms: Islamic Jihad is responsible for the rocket that hit the hospital in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Tssfl5M7Ew — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2023

However, Palestinian sources initially blamed an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City for the devastating loss of life. Israel, through a spokesperson for Prime Minister Netanyahu, emphasized that the IDF does not deliberately target hospitals but focuses on Hamas strongholds, arms depots, and terror targets.

RAW FOOTAGE: A rocket aimed at Israel misfired and exploded at 18:59—the same moment a hospital was hit in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Kf5xJazSap — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2023

Jordan Cancels Biden-Arab Leaders Summit

An investigation by the IDF is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the hospital explosion. International reactions to the incident include Jordan cancelling a summit with United States President Joe Biden and other Arab leaders to discuss the situation in Gaza, expressing concern over the escalating violence and its impact on the region. 

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the meeting would be held at a time when the parties could agree to end the “war and the massacres against Palestinians”, blaming Israel with its military campaign for pushing the region to “the brink of the abyss”. 

Biden was expected to make a whirlwind trip to Israel where he would later head to Jordan and, according to Jordanian officials, meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The US President now will visit only Israel and postpone his travel to Jordan, a White House official said as Biden departed on Tuesday. Jordan’s King Abdullah would have hosted the four-way summit, which would have on its agenda the need to get humanitarian assistance to Gaza to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and tamper the conflict with Israel.

Protests In West Bank

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters rallied in the occupied West Bank after Palestinian officials said an Israeli air raid killed hundreds of people at a hospital in Gaza. The strike on Gaza’s Al-Ahli al-Arab Hospital was the deadliest single incident in Gaza since Israel launched a brutal campaign of air raids on the Palestinian territory after a deadly Hamas gun rampage through Israeli communities.

In the city of Ramallah, Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters on Tuesday. Witnesses reported protests in other cities across the West Bank, including Nablus, Tubas and Jenin, a northern city that was the focus of extensive Israeli military operations earlier this year.

The outbreak of West Bank protests highlights long-simmering Palestinian anger against PA President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces have long faced criticism for coordinating with Israel on security in the territory.