On October 17, just before 7 pm, the skies over Gaza were lit up by bright lights: a dozen rockets launched from Gaza, a missile fired from Israel, and two fighter jets. A few moments later, an explosion struck the Al-Ahli Hospital, killing a number of people that is still uncertain to this day.

Two weeks after the blast, Le Monde's analysis of the images shows the trajectory and speed of a salvo of Palestinian rockets are compatible with the explosion at the hospital. Our investigation sheds light on a night of clashes, from exchanged fire to the presence of two fighter jets, probably Israeli, without establishing with certainty the cause of the explosion.

A Palestinian police officer and disappearing debris

At 6:59 pm, the parking lot of Al-Ahli Hospital was devastated by an explosion. Soon afterward, images revealed a crater barely a meter in diameter.

As reported by the BBC, a photo taken 40 minutes after the blast shows a Palestinian police officer near the crater. He belongs to the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD), which specializes in explosive devices and their neutralization, with duties that include collecting projectile debris and investigating explosions.

Yet two weeks later, no photos of debris have been published by Hamas. According to Marc Garlasco, a former military expert for the UN, "There's always a piece of a bomb after the fact. In 20 years of investigating war crimes, this is the first time I haven't seen any weapon remnants. And I've worked three wars in Gaza." Hamas representatives initially told the New York Times the missile "is vaporized. Nothing is left." They later told the Washington Post that they were in possession of remnants that "will soon be shown to the world."

An Israeli interceptor, seemingly not linked to the explosion

Israel was quick to blame a dysfunctional rocket from Islamic Jihad, another armed group in Gaza, and presented its evidence: Footage filmed by Al-Jazeera. The footage shows a projectile rising and then exploding in the air. In the same footage, a few seconds later, the explosion takes place in the hospital. According to Israel, this was a Palestinian rocket, whose debris landed and caused the explosion in the hospital.

Using the three camera angles that show the projectile taking off, Le Monde was able to triangulate its position. It was actually fired from Israel, in an area where an Iron Dome missile system is located. This system detects Palestinian rockets in flight and attempts to shoot them down using guided missiles. According to the same images, the projectile exploded some 20 seconds after take-off, over Israeli territory.

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