New York Times probe: Rocket seen on video before Ahli Hospital blast launched from Israel

A new report from The New York Times' visual investigations team has found that the projectile captured on video before the explosion of al-Ahli Arab Hospital was launched from Israel and likely unrelated to the blast.

The investigation contradicts the most public piece of evidence Israeli officials have cited to say that a failed rocket launched from Gaza caused the hospital explosion, which killed nearly 500 Palestinians.

On social media and in media interviews, Israeli officials cited footage from Al Jazeera to claim that the blast was caused by a rocket from the armed Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which it said malfunctioned midair and exploded at the same time as the hospital blast.

However, the newspaper's investigation concluded that the missile from the video was launched from Israel, not Gaza. It also found that the projectile from the Al Jazeera footage exploded two miles away from the hospital.

The New York Times said that its investigation doesn't offer a conclusion as to what caused the explosion, and also said that a failed Palestinian rocket causing the blast "remains plausible".