Behind the scenes on how IDF got its biggest ‘hasbara’ win of the war - exclusive
Inside the IDF's race to uncover evidence behind the al-Ahli hospital blast, counter Hamas's claims, and restore credibility as Biden flew to Israel.
On October 17, 2023, during Israel's war against Hamas, IDF Chief Spokesman Daniel Hagari was scheduled to deliver a daily update. Unbeknownst to him, a female officer whispered that reports of a hospital explosion had emerged, likely due to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad's rocket barrage. The IDF Spokesperson's Office decided to investigate before making any official statements.
Initially, Hamas claimed 500 Palestinian civilians were killed, and the news spread globally. IDF officials worked to confirm the reports through open sources and intelligence. Despite initial pressure to deny the allegations, the IDF insisted on gathering facts. The situation was tense, as US President Joe Biden was heading to the Middle East for a summit.
The IDF's air force later confirmed that an Israeli bomb had been fired near the hospital, but it was misfired from a cemetery. Hamas operatives later admitted to the misfire, and the IDF published the intercepted communications, stating that Islamic Jihad had fired the rockets that hit the hospital. However, the world's reaction remained largely unchanged, with little impact on the ongoing conflict.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
