Gaza City

The Israeli army on Wednesday (Oct 17) said it had credible "evidence" that terrorists in Gaza Strip were responsible for the blast at a hospital. The blast which allegedly killed hundreds triggered global condemnation and sparked protests across the Middle East. 

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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released the findings of a detailed probe into the alleged attack, claiming that the strike was not carried out by them. 

Citing the aerial footage analysis, the IDF further alleged that the number of casualties has been inflated.

The Israel Army showed before and after footage and said nearby buildings suffered no structural damage or cratering which would have been seen in case of any aerial munition. 

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To support their claims of misfiring, IDF released an audio recording of Hamas operatives who were apparently talking about a misfired rocket causing the hospital blast. 

Also read: Israeli airstrike or 'misfired' Islamic Jihad rocket? What killed at least 500 at Gaza hospital?

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media. 

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US President Joe Biden, who is visiting Israel, echoed what Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed on the blast that, according to Palestinian officials, killed around 500 people and injured many as claimed by Hamas health ministry. Notably, the death toll is not confirmed yet. 

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a press conference in Tel Aviv, "The evidence — which we are sharing with you all — confirms that the explosion at the hospital in Gaza was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket that misfired." 

Hagari said, "There was no IDF (Israeli army) fire by land, sea or air that hit the hospital." 

"Our radar system tracked missiles fired by terrorists in Gaza at the time of the explosion and the trajectory analysis of the rockets shows the rockets were fired in close proximity to the hospital," he added. 

Also read: It's a massacre: Gaza hospital horror unveiled 

The strike led to claims and counterclaims as the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which runs the territory, blamed Israel. 

Hamas fired back at Israel's latest comments about the strike, saying "its outrageous lies do not deceive anyone". 

In a statement, Hamas said that Israel "is directly responsible for this horrific massacre which was carried out... with American weapons only the occupation possesses". 

Biden-Netanyahu meet 

After landing in Tel Aviv, Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Hamas had brought "only suffering". Interestingly, he also blamed the hospital attack on the "other team", meaning the Palestinian militants. 

"I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," Biden said. 

"But there's a lot of people out there not sure so we have to overcome a lot of things," Biden added.  

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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