2023-10-18 22:24:17
AA / Ankara / Sarp Ozer
A defense expert on Wednesday disputed the Israeli military’s claim that the Gaza hospital attack, which killed 471 people, including women and children, was caused by a rocket fired from the coastal territory, calling it unrealistic and saying that if the rocket had been fired from Gaza, Israel’s “Iron Dome” air defense system should have been activated.
In an interview with Anadolu, Murat Aslan, senior researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and lecturer at Hasan Kalyoncu University, spoke about the bombing on Tuesday evening of the Al- Ahli Baptist in Gaza.
Referring to various assessments regarding the munition used in the attack, Aslan said that “in attacks targeting populated areas, munition fuses can be programmed to explode 50-100 meters above the ground before reaching target”.
“This increases the impact of the attack. Considering the area affected by the explosion and the traces left on the ground after the explosion during the attack on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, it “It is safe to assume that the munition was set to detonate prematurely in order to achieve a mid-air explosion for greater impact. This appears to have widened the area covered by the explosion,” he said. added.
Asked about the Israeli army’s theory that the attack was caused by a rocket fired from Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Professor Aslan said: “If a rocket of such range, likely to cause such significant damage, had been fired, the (Israeli) Iron Dome air defense system should have been activated.
“It would be very difficult for Islamic Jihad to execute such a precise strike, even from the West Bank, without being intercepted by the Israeli air defense system,” he explained.
And added: “If the caliber of the rocket is less, then it is no longer possible that it caused the death of more than 500 people. In addition, given that the rocket is not remotely controlled and that “it follows an inclined trajectory, a vertical descent on the hospital seems very unlikely.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry revised the death toll, saying at least 471 people were killed and 342 others injured in the Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. in Gaza, late Tuesday afternoon.
Professor Aslan also rejected Israel’s claim that the attack was caused by a “howitzer munition”, saying: “This hypothesis is implausible due to the required range.”
“A howitzer ammunition has a radius of 30 to 50 meters. However, it cannot cause such a large number of victims,” he said.
And to emphasize that it is very likely that the ammunition used during the attack was dropped by a war plane.
“Therefore, the possibility that Israel used the MK82 bomb, already used before and which it can guide using a kit, is reinforced,” said Professor Aslan.
And to conclude: “The examination of the munitions fragments and investigations in the area are necessary to establish a definitive conclusion. However, the current situation does not allow this.”
*Translated from English by Mourad Belhaj
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