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The deadly blast at the Al-Alhi hospital in Gaza continues to draw skepticism over who exactly is to blame.
Shortly after the blast, Hamas instantly blamed Israel. Israel and U.S. President Joe Biden, however, contended that the blow was self-inflicted by Hamas.
The United States has since announced it had launched an investigation into the attack. That assessment currently shows that Israel was “not responsible” for the explosion.
In a statement, the National Security Council explained that it had reviewed “overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information” to come to this conclusion.
Their findings seem to be corroborated by the U.S. House and Senate, which issued statements saying the rocket looks to have been a failed launch from within Gaza. Video released since the attack shows what appears to be a rocket fired from Gaza, which makes a sudden turn just before landing on the hospital.
Regardless, the tragedy drew heated responses before any type of investigation took place; and many of these responses cast blame on Israel.
Journalists from NBC, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal, among others, reposted claims from Hamas that the explosion was an Israeli attack. Many of these reports promoted the idea that the rocket struck the Al-Alhi hospital and killed over 500 people.
With the evidence we have now, these outlets have been widely panned for repeating a claim with no confirmation at the time. But this has not stopped some from promoting the idea that Israel is to blame.
In the U.S., two members of Congress have continued to say that Israel is the one responsible for the strike. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, members of the House “Squad” of progressive Democrats, have continued to assert this claim despite the ongoing investigation and mounting evidence against it.
Republicans have since issued a statement bashing both representatives, calling their assertions “appalling and unacceptable.”