US says initial independent review shows no evidence of bomb strike on Gaza hospital
The U.S. said Israel was not responsible for an apparent errant rocket strike. A day after the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry claimed Israel had attacked the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, saying some 500 Palestinians had been killed, Israeli and U.S. officials, explosives experts, and President Joe Biden said Wednesday an available evidence shows the destruction was caused instead by a failed Palestinian terrorist rocket launch. "Based on the information we've seen today, it appears the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza," Biden said during his visit to Israel. While Israeli officials denied involvement in the hours after the incident -- later claiming it could prove as much by declassifying intelligence -- Biden said he based his conclusion on "data" provided by the U.S. Defense Department. The Pentagon independently concluded the Gaza hospital blast was likely caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) rocket that fell short ...