Minutes after 1 a.m. Friday, as active fighting raged between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, a projectile streaked over Gaza’s largest medical complex and crashed into the center of the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital, a place where thousands of displaced Gazans had sought shelter.
Hours after the final blast, the Israeli military blamed unspecified Palestinian militants, saying a “misfired projectile” aimed at Israel Defense Forces troops deployed nearby had instead hit the hospital.
Al-Shifa has emerged as a particular flashpoint: Israel contends it has evidence that the hospital sits on top of an underground Hamas command center and has been warning those still inside to evacuate, even as its troops have been actively working to surround the facility.
In addition to the weapons remnants, an analysis of video footage shows that three of the projectiles were fired into the hospital from the north and south, contrary to the western trajectory indicated on a map released by the I.D.F., which it said was based on radar detections.
Videos filmed by a reporter working with Al Jazeera inside the hospital on Oct. 30 and provided to The Times showed women, children and infants filling the corridors and stairwells of the maternity building.
A photo obtained by The Times showed the damage caused by the projectile that hit the outpatient area, but Mr. Garlasco and Mr. Stevens, the weapons experts, said the image did not provide enough detail to determine what kind of munition was used in the strike.
The original article contains 1,326 words, the summary contains 246 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!