Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame

Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.

Damage at Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital
Blast damage at Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital
(Image credit: Ali Jadallah / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Gaza City, a fiery explosion erupted at the al-Ahli Hospital, leaving scores of Palestinian civilians dead. Hamas and the Hamas-run health ministry immediately claimed an Israeli airstrike destroyed the hospital, killing at least 500 people. Israel, after a brief investigation, said it was not responsible, blaming the blast on a failed Israel-bound rocket fired by a second militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Neighboring Arab leaders blamed and denounced Israel, and outraged anti-Israel and anti-U.S. protests erupted across the Middle East.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.