Claims suggest malfunctioned Islamic Jihad rocket may have been the cause
In the wake of a recent incident at a hospital in Gaza, Mark Regev, senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the UK, strongly denied Israeli involvement. He argued that preliminary evidence suggests the strike might have been a result of an Islamic Jihad rocket that malfunctioned and hit the facility.
Regev said, “the highest probability appears to be that this was an Islamic Jihad rocket.” He elaborated on how in previous conflicts, a significant percentage of these rockets misfired, sometimes causing unintended casualties in Gaza. Citing a past incident from 2021, Regev mentioned how they could prove with a video that it was an Islamic Jihad rocket that caused the damage, not an Israeli strike.
Despite the evidence presented, scepticism remains high. The Sky News reporter pointed out that images from the ground depict the destruction of civilian areas, raising questions about Israel’s use of force in the densely populated region. The debate became intense, discussing civilian casualties, the strategic targeting by Israel, and the complexities of warfare in urban settings.
When pressed on the civilian casualties and the World Health Organisation’s report of 2,800 deaths in Gaza, Regev stressed that many of these figures are sourced from Hamas-controlled outlets. “How many of those were combatants?” he queried, underscoring the importance of critically assessing the reported figures.
The broader discussion touched upon global responses to terrorism, including the fight against ISIS in 2016. Regev compared the situation in Gaza to the battle in Mosul, suggesting that while civilian casualties are tragic, they are sometimes unavoidable when combating embedded terrorist organisations.
The discourse ended with Regev urging the media and international community to remain sceptical of all information until concrete evidence can be presented. “I hope [to present our truth] as soon as possible,” Regev concluded, emphasising the importance of discerning truth from potential propaganda.