The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have released an audio clip suggesting that Hamas members acknowledged a misfired rocket by Palestinian Islamic Jihad as the cause of the devastation of a Gaza hospital overnight, MailOnline reported. The audio clip was made public amidst a wave of fury from Israel's foes and the Arab world regarding the explosion.
Iran explicitly said that Israel's "time is up," and Hezbollah, a terror group backed by Tehran, called for a "day of rage" in response to the loss of hundreds of lives. "They are saying (the rocket) belongs to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It's from us?" a Hamas member asks in the clip provided by Israel's military intelligence.
IDF Shocking Claims
"It looks like it," the other responded. "It misfired and fell on them... God bless - couldn't it have found another place to explode?" Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, Canada, Israel, and the European Union.
The recording is among the various pieces of evidence that Israel has presented to refute its involvement in the hospital blast. The Gaza Health Ministry claimed that the incident resulted in approximately 500 deaths, the outlet reported.
Israel also released a radar map illustrating Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket attacks. Additionally, they released a video showing a rocket supposedly launched from Gaza toward Israel, which suffered a problem and abruptly changed direction before flaming out.
In the dimly lit footage, it is challenging to determine if the rocket disintegrated or just lost its intended trajectory.
Shortly after that, a couple of explosions occurred in the city below, which Israel claims were because of the rocket plummeting back to Earth and striking the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.
"This is the tragic result of firing rockets from densely populated neighborhoods," the IDF said.
In response, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed that Hamas was aware the hospital blast was caused by a rocket from Islamic Jihad but launched a deliberate "global media campaign" to falsely implicate Israel.
He presented a series of satellite images and intelligence documents as evidence to demonstrate that Israel was not responsible for the hospital blast. "They understood with absolute certainty that it was a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad that damaged the hospital," Hagari said.
"Unlike Hamas, the IDF launched an immediate examination" of the attack, he said, going onto explain there was no IDF fire "from land, sea or air that hit the hospital."
"I can confirm that an analysis of the IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli Al Mahdi Hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit.
"Intelligence from a few sources that we have in our hands indicates that the Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch which hit the hospital in Gaza.
"I repeat, this is the responsibility of Islamic Jihad that killed innocents in the hospital in Gaza."
Blame Game On
Hagari further said that there was no observable structural damage to buildings surrounding the Al-Ahli hospital, nor were there craters consistent with an air strike. He concluded by stating that approximately 450 rockets fired from Gaza had fallen short, landing within the strip over the past 11 days. However, these claims were not independently verified.
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN that Israel "categorically" does not intentionally target sensitive facilities, including hospitals.
"We did not strike that, and that the intelligence that we have suggests that it was a failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad," he said.
"I want to add, categorically, that we do not intentionally strike any sensitive facilities, and definitely not hospitals," he said.
The incident has triggered a bitter blame game, with a spokesperson for Islamic Jihad accusing the IDF of "trying to cover for the horrifying crime and massacre they committed against civilians."
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the hospital explosion is believed to have killed between 200-300 people, and the death toll is expected to increase.
Disturbing footage from the hospital, which was sheltering around 6,000 Palestinians and is financially supported by the Anglican Church, shows the building engulfed in flames and numerous bodies scattered on the ground, including many young children.
Amidst the chaos, ambulances and private vehicles rushed around 350 casualties from the al-Ahli blast to Gaza City's primary hospital, al-Shifa, which was already overwhelmed with the wounded from previous strikes, as reported by its director, Mohammed Abu Selmia.
"We are squeezing five beds into a single tiny room. We need equipment, we need medicine, we need beds, we need everything," Mr Abu Selmia said, warning that the fuel supply for the hospital's generators will run out on Wednesday.
"I think Gaza's medical sector will collapse within hours."
In a press conference at al-Shifa, doctors were surrounded by dead children brought in from the affected hospital, holding some of their faces to the cameras to showcase the horrifying situation.
