U.S. Intelligence Officials Confirm Palestinian Militants Responsible for Deadly Blast at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital

U.S. intelligence officials have determined that a rocket fired by Palestinian militants, not Israel, was responsible for the deadly blast at Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital last week.

The officials, speaking to reporters by phone on Tuesday, said they had “high confidence” in their assessment that it was not Israel that fired the rocket. They believe the rocket suffered engine failure and broke apart into two pieces, with the warhead striking the hospital’s parking lot.

The officials said they used signals intercepts, multiple video sources, photographs and geolocation technologies to arrive at their assessment. They were less certain which Palestinian militants fired the projectile on the evening of Oct. 17.

The incident has caused tensions to flare across the Middle East, with both sides accusing the other of responsibility. The U.S. intelligence officials said they had “high confidence” that Palestinian militants were responsible for the explosion.

The incident has prompted calls for an independent investigation into the incident. The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for an investigation into the incident, and the International Criminal Court has said it will consider opening a war crimes investigation.