UK intelligence finds hospital blast likely caused by Palestinian rocket

The British government says it has concluded that a devastating explosion at a hospital in Gaza was likely caused by a misfired missile from within Palestinian territory, rather than an Israeli strike.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told lawmakers in the House of Commons that based on an intelligence assessment, “the British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel.”

The conclusion tallies with assessments by US and French officials about the cause of the explosion at the al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday. Israel has blamed a rocket fired by Islamic Jihad.

Officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza have blamed it on an Israeli airstrike and said the blast killed almost 500 people. A US intelligence report estimated that somewhere between 100 and 300 Palestinians were likely killed.