The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a lesser-known terrorist organization working in coordination with Hamas, has been blamed for a deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza City.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a lesser-known terrorist organization working in coordination with Hamas, has been blamed for a deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza City.
Hamas had claimed that an Israeli airstrike killed more than 500 people, including civilians seeking treatment, at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital.
But Israeli officials refuted the claim, and demonstrated that the blast at the hospital was caused by a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The attack marked the deadliest escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas since the terrorist group launched its surprise attack on October 7.
Here is what we know about the Islamic Jihad and its ties to Hamas:Who is responsible for the attack at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital?
In a news conference on Tuesday, Israeli officials used surveillance pictures and audio recordings to prove the blast at the hospital was caused by a misfired rocket the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had intended for Tel Aviv.
“An enemy rocket barrage was carried out towards Israel, which passed in the vicinity of the hospital, when it was hit,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
“According to intelligence information, from several sources we have, the GAP organization is responsible for the failed shooting that hit the hospital.”
President Biden agreed with that assertion in televised remarks Wednesday, saying: “Based on the information we’ve seen to date, it appears as a result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza.