The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed Tuesday that the “double-tap” strike on Nasser Hospital, which killed at least 20 people, was aimed at what it believed was a camera positioned by Hamas.
It said an initial inquiry had found that troops from the Golani Brigade operating in Khan Younis had identified a camera “positioned by Hamas in the area of the Nasser Hospital that was being used to observe the activity of IDF troops, in order to direct terrorist activities against them.”
It offered no evidence to support the claim, which has been disputed by Hamas. “If this claim were true, there are many means to neutralize this camera without targeting a health care facility with a tank shell,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told The Associated Press.
Israel’s back-to-back strikes on the hospital on Monday killed health workers, journalists and emergency first responders – and prompted international condemnation from press groups, medical organizations and national governments.
Later on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths of journalists, medical staff and other civilians at the hospital a “tragic mishap” in a post on social media.
However, while the IDF’s Tuesday statement said it regretted “any harm caused to civilians,” it also claimed the strikes had killed six “terrorists.”
A security source in Israel told CNN Tuesday that none of the five journalists killed in the strike were the intended targets.
Top row: Hussam Al-Masri, Moath Abu Taha and Mohammad Salama. Bottom row: Mariam Abu Daqqa and Ahmed Abu Aziz. An Israeli “double-tap” strike killed all five journalists in Gaza on Monday. – Obtained by CNN
The IDF also said it would “examine several gaps” in its understanding of the attack in further inquiries. This would include examining the “authorization process prior to the strike” and “the decision-making process in the field.”
“The Chief of the General Staff emphasized that the IDF directs its activities solely toward military targets,” the statement concluded.
A ‘day of struggle’
The IDF’s claims about the attack were released on the same day protesters across the country took part in what was billed a nationwide “day of struggle” to call for a hostage and ceasefire deal.
Organizers of the largest rally, in Tel Aviv, estimated that more than 300,000 people attended.
CNN cannot independently confirm that number, but images from Tel Aviv showed the streets packed with flag-waving demonstrators.
Protesters in Tel Aviv hold up their lit-up cellphones during a demonstration organised by the families of the Israeli hostages. – JJohn Wessels/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters who spoke to CNN on Tuesday were confident that they would eventually pressure Netanyahu’s government into accepting a deal.
“If we didn’t believe we could make a difference, we wouldn’t be here,” Yael Adar told CNN in downtown Tel Aviv. “We are the water drops that wear down the stone, and something will eventually happen because we’re fighting for our future.”
Adar’s son Tamir Adar died on October 7, with his body taken into Gaza.
Haim Weiss, a protester who traveled to downtown Tel Aviv from Beer Sheva in Israel’s south, told CNN’s Oren Liebermann that he believes Netanyahu’s cabinet is more interested in “conquering Gaza” than in securing a hostage deal and ceasefire.
“It’s unbelievable what the government is doing not to bring the hostages back,” Weiss, who protests three times a week, told CNN.
“This government should be dealing with one and only (one) thing: ending this war and bringing back the hostages,” Weiss said.
Protesters march during a rally calling for the Israeli government to sign a deal to release the hostages held in Gaza, on Tuesday, in Tel Aviv, Israel. – Amir Levy/Getty Images
While Netanyahu recently claimed he was “immediately” starting negotiations to release all the hostages and end the war, Israel is yet to respond to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators, which Hamas has accepted.
That proposal calls for a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of the hostages – but Netanyahu is now insisting that all the hostages must be released at once. At the same time, he is advancing plans for the IDF’s massive assault and takeover of Gaza City.
Netanyahu’s security cabinet met on Tuesday, but sources told CNN the meeting ended without major decisions or any review of the current ceasefire deal. Another meeting on Sunday will review the government’s plan to occupy Gaza City.
Meanwhile, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the rally in Tel Aviv had sent “a clear message – the government must sign the deal that’s currently on the table,” it said in a statement.
“The entire nation demands an end to the war and the return of all hostages.”
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