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Israel to give proof of its innocence in Gaza hospital attack at UNSC meeting

According to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, hospital was hit by a failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad, Palestinian terror organization

TEL AVIV, October 18. /TASS/. Israel plans to present proof of its non-involvement in the strike on Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital at a UN Security Council meeting, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said.

"We have concrete evidence that Israel did not attack the Al-Ahli Hospital. Furthermore, we are 100% sure that this hospital was hit by a failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad, Palestinian terror organization <…>. This evidence will be presented in the UN Security Council meeting today [on Wednesday] for the whole international community to see," Cohen said in a video published on the Foreign Ministry’s X page (formerly known as Twitter).

Earlier on Wednesday, Israel’s Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi said during an online briefing that Israel had submitted its report about the attack on Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital to the United Nations Security Council. The diplomat indicated that the Jewish state had not yet received an invitation to attend the UN Security Council meeting on the Gaza developments, but the Israeli delegation would take part if invited.

At least 471 people were killed in an attack on the Al-Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip on October 17. Palestine laid the blame for the attack on the Israeli military. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied responsibility, saying in a statement that the powerful explosion in the hospital had resulted from a misfired rocket launched by the Islamic Jihad group. Palestine and Syria declared a three-day mourning period, while Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas refused to attend the summit in Amman, scheduled for October 19.