By In a significant development, France’s military intelligence agency, the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DRM), has released its findings regarding the tragic explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
The DRM’s assessment points to a misfiring Palestinian rocket as the likely cause of the deadly blast, amid a heated blame game between Israel and Palestinian authorities.
According to the DRM’s report, an errant Palestinian rocket, equipped with approximately 5kg of explosive material, is believed to have triggered the explosion. Importantly, their investigation found no evidence to suggest that an Israeli missile was responsible for the incident.
A senior French military official, in a briefing to multiple news agencies, emphasized that the size of the explosion and the impact crater align with the characteristics of rockets typically used by Palestinian factions.
These rockets, the official noted, leave a smaller impact crater compared to Israeli missiles. While the DRM did not provide an exact death toll, they suggested that the figure is likely lower than the 471 fatalities reported by Palestinian officials.
The DRM’s findings were based on a comprehensive analysis of classified information, satellite imagery, intelligence contributions from other nations, and publicly available data. Notably, images of the hospital’s light structural damage and the scarcity of civilian belongings at the blast site played a crucial role in their assessment.
This revelation comes on the heels of mounting controversy and contradictory claims surrounding the hospital explosion, leading to widespread protests across the Middle East.
Palestinian authorities insist that the blast resulted from an Israeli airstrike, while Israel maintains that a rocket fired by the armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad was responsible—a claim that the group vehemently denies.
Adding to the intrigue, an investigation by Al Jazeera, leveraging video footage, has raised doubts about Israel’s assertion that a flash caught on a live news broadcast was linked to a misfired rocket striking the hospital.
In a separate development, the United States National Security Council recently stated its “current assessment” that Israel was not accountable for the explosion.
The death toll remains a point of contention, with Gaza’s health ministry reporting 471 casualties—a number disputed by Israel, which alleges that the figures have been deliberately inflated.
In contrast, U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that the true number of victims likely falls between 100 and 300 individuals.
Seeking clarity and accountability, the United Nations has called for an independent investigation into the tragic incident. Ravina Shamdasani, a representative of the UN Human Rights Office, stressed the imperative for a thorough and impartial investigation during a press conference in Geneva. “There needs to be accountability.”
The DRM’s findings underscore the need for an impartial inquiry to determine the exact cause of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, as the world watches closely for answers and justice.
