A catastrophic blast at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza resulted in the tragic loss of hundreds of lives earlier this week. As disclosed by the Palestinian Red Crescent, the death toll reaches a disheartening figure of 500. In the immediate aftermath, blame was laid on an Israel Defense Force (IDF) airstrike by Gaza’s health ministry.
However, the IDF counter-claims, with its foremost spokesperson asserting that the explosion was the outcome of a botched rocket attack by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and citing intelligence sources to back this claim. At the time of the explosion, the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital had been providing shelter for civilians.
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which manages the hospital, issued a public statement labelling the explosion an “attack” and condemning it outright. The Diocese invoked international humanitarian law to argue that hospitals should always be sanctuaries, and this assault has violated those protective boundaries.
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari denied responsibility, instead placing blame on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. In a video message, Hagari stated that analysis of IDF operational systems indicates the hospital was hit due to rocket fire from Gaza, a failure attributed to the Islamic Jihad.
Mentions of war crimes have emerged in response to the horrific event. The Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 18, dictates hospitals must be respected and protected during conflict by all parties involved, including Israel and Palestine. Further whispers of war crimes were stirred by a press release from the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The incident followed an earlier Israeli rocket fire which struck Al Ahli Hospital on Saturday, causing damage to two floors of its diagnostic cancer center and resulting in four injuries.
From the initial attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, violence in the region has escalated, resulting in the deaths of at least 2,778 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis, as reported by the Palestinian health ministry and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.