A respected human rights group, known for its critical stance on Israel, has revised its assessment regarding a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital last month. The organization now indicates that the blast, initially surrounded by controversy, likely resulted from a rocket fired by Palestinian militants, not Israeli forces as some had claimed.
The group’s updated report comes amid a backdrop of silence from several left-leaning U.S. lawmakers who had quickly pointed fingers at Israel for the incident. Human Rights Watch’s latest findings suggest the explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital on October 17 stemmed from a rocket that aligns with munitions commonly used by Palestinian armed groups. They called for further inquiry to ascertain whether the laws of war had been breached.
This pivot follows initial accusations by Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who promptly held the Israel Defense Forces accountable based on death tolls publicized by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. Subsequent intelligence from both Israel and the U.S. contradicted these claims, pointing to a misfire by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which resulted in casualties at the hospital.
Despite the new evidence, Omar and Tlaib have not retracted their statements. They maintain their calls for independent investigations, citing historical precedents of misinformation from both the U.S. and Israeli governments. Representative Cori Bush also echoed the need for a ceasefire, referencing the disputed casualty figures.
In the wake of the Human Rights Watch report, no comments have been forthcoming from these Congress members, nor from others like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, and Ayanna Pressley, who have previously defended positions critical of Israel.
The human rights organization itself had shared the initial casualty figures from the Gaza Health Ministry but now acknowledges discrepancies. They reported a significant death count, which they later recognized could not be substantiated and seemed disproportionate to the observed damage.
A spokesperson for Human Rights Watch explained that an attribution to the Palestinian Ministry of Health was omitted in an initial social media post due to character constraints but was included in a fuller statement the same day. This omission was not intentional, according to the spokesperson.
The latest findings by the group underscore the complexity of accurately attributing responsibility in conflict zones and highlight the challenges faced by organizations in verifying information during wartime. The report concluded that the physical evidence points away from the use of a large bomb by Israel and instead suggests the impact of a rocket.
Despite Hamas officials’ claims that Palestinian factions lack the firepower to cause such devastation, the report adds to a growing body of evidence that non-state actors in the region possess significant military capabilities. The incident has reignited debate over the conduct of both Israeli and Palestinian forces during periods of conflict.