France’s Directorate of Military Intelligence (DRM) stated on Friday that there is no substantiated evidence to suggest that the explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital, resulting in the tragic loss of hundreds of lives, was caused by an Israeli airstrike. According to the DRM, the leading theory suggests that the explosion may have been the result of a Palestinian rocket detonating with approximately five kilograms of explosives on Tuesday. They further emphasize that there is no indication pointing towards an Israeli strike as the cause of the incident.
At the request of the French presidency and in the spirit of transparency, the DRM (French military intelligence agency) has opted to release its analysis to the public.
According to the DRM’s findings, the blast site revealed a cavity, rather than a crater, measuring approximately one meter by 75 centimeters, with a depth ranging from 30 to 40 centimeters.
“It requires approximately five kilograms of explosives to generate this effect, certainly less than 10 kilograms,” as stated.
The analysis suggests that it’s improbable for an Israeli bomb or missile to have caused this impact, as the minimum explosive charge for such weaponry is significantly higher. A five-kilogram charge aligns more closely with the type of explosives often associated with rockets acquired or manufactured by Palestinian groups.
Since Tuesday, both the Palestinians and Israelis have been pointing fingers at each other, each assigning blame for the hospital incident.