An analysis conducted by the Canadian intelligence command at the order of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has allegedly found that Israel did not strike the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the Gaza Strip, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said on Sunday.
"Analysis conducted independently by the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command indicates with a high degree of confidence that Israel did not strike the hospital on October 17, 2023. The more likely scenario is that the strike was caused by an errant rocket fired from Gaza," Blair said on X.
Palestinian group Hamas blamed the explosion on an Israeli airstrike. The Israel Defense Forces said that the hospital had been hit by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and seizing people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel.
The blockade was later eased to allow trucks with humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The escalation of the conflict has resulted in thousands of people killed and injured on both sides.