Gaza Airstrike Evidence Assessment Disputes Israel's Justification for Hospital Attack
Israel has intensified its attacks in Gaza this week, bombing two of the territory's significant working hospitals.
A video, authenticated by our site, captures the moment of the bombing of the European Hospital near Khan Younis on Tuesday. Another video, taken outside the hospital's grounds, shows smoke billowing from the compound. At least 16 people were confirmed dead by Gaza's health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government in the territory.
Israel asserted it was targeting a Hamas "command and control center" hidden beneath the hospital, and published a video taken from an aerial surveillance aircraft as evidence. However, our site has confirmed that the video does not, in fact, show the European Hospital, but the adjacent school, Jenin Secondary School for Boys.
In the video, several dark shapes are also highlighted and labeled as "underground terrorist infrastructure site revealed following the strike." Yet, there seems to be no visible damage in the video, and an eyewitness told our site that there was no damage to the school's courtyard. An expert analyzed the footage and stated that the dark shapes appear to be markings caused by water, rather than exposed underground infrastructure such as tunnels.
A representative from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged to our site that the footage shows an area outside the hospital grounds. The representative didn't provide any evidence that the underground infrastructure continued beneath the hospital nor did they address the analysis showing water markings instead of underground infrastructure.
The attack on the European Hospital occurred just hours after Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was struck by an Israeli attack. A video taken by a Palestinian journalist, verified by our site, showcases the aftermath of the strike. The hospital's top two floors on the eastern side are on fire, and an Israeli aircraft can be heard in the background. Israel insists it was targeting Hamas officials who were using that part of the hospital as a base, yet it has failed to produce any evidence supporting its claim. Local media claims Israel was targeting Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar.
Moreover, over 50 people were also killed in Israeli strikes on Khan Younis overnight on Thursday. Since March 18, when it abandoned a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel has declared 65% of the Gaza Strip to be active combat zones, necessitating Palestinians to flee. However, neither hospital attacked on Tuesday was located in a declared combat zone.
Dr. Tom Potokar, a British surgeon working in Gaza, was at the European Hospital when it was struck. He informed our correspondent, Alex Crawford, that the hospital was targeted twice more on Wednesday, as workers cleared the rubble from the day before. A video taken by Dr. Potokar shows smoke bellowing from a bulldozer on the hospital's grounds. On the same morning, Israel also launched a series of attacks on the residential neighborhood of Jabalia, in the north of the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 53 deaths, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Over the past two months, Gaza has experienced its deadliest period since the early weeks of the war, according to Gaza's health ministry, with three in every five fatalities being women, children, or the elderly. A two-month blockade on aid has exacerbated Gaza's suffering, with vital resources like food beginning to run out. "You've got an entire population that is in a crisis mode in terms of food security," said Antoine Renard, director for Palestine at the World Food Programme. "Worse than that, you've got nearly a quarter of the population that is at risk of famine."
A UN-backed report this week revealed that 93% of people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, described as being in a crisis, emergency, or catastrophic situation, and nearly 71,000 children under five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next 11 months. This is unfolding as Israeli officials face pressure to agree to a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The Data and Forensics team from our site is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to supplying transparent journalism. We gather, analyze, and visualize data to tell data-driven stories, combining traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media, and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling, we aim to provide better explanations of the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
- The attacks in Gaza this week, including the bombing of the European Hospital, have raised political tensions and questions about war-and-conflicts, with Israel accused of targeting civilians and infringing on general-news reporting.
- The volatile situation in Gaza, marked by intensified warfare and humanitarian crises, is profoundly influencing the global political landscape and sparking a wave of hard-hitting news stories on politics and war-and-conflicts.
