Medical Journal Accuses Israel Over Deaths in Gaza Conflict

Amid the tragic aftermath of the bombing of Gaza's Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, doctors at Al-Shifa Hospital gather to make a press statement, surrounded by lifeless Palestinian bodies, on Oct. 17, 2023. Mohamed Masri/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

An online editorial in a BMJ-owned journal said an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was caused by an “air strike” and went on to accuse Israel of “deliberate targeting of limbs ... in occupied Palestine.”

The editorial, published on Oct. 21 by BMJ Global Health, a peer-reviewed online journal, went on to say the violence in Gaza was “an extension of the systematic campaign of violence and oppression against the Palestinian people, and [any credible commitment to—and movement for—health justice] must interrogate its root causes accordingly.”

BMJ—which was formerly known as the British Medical Journal and dates back to 1840—said it has since amended the article to reflect the fact that the exact cause of the blast has not been confirmed.

The Gaza Health Ministry—an agency of the Hamas-controlled government—said 471 people died at Al-Ahli Hospital on Oct. 17, and Hamas immediately blamed an Israeli air strike, but the U.S. government has said it believes Hamas was to blame for the incident.

The Guardian published an article on Oct. 18, based on “forensic reviewing of open source videos,” which concluded the blast was more likely caused by a misfiring Hamas missile, which had been launched from a cemetery behind the hospital.

Sunak Said Missile Fired From Within Gaza

On Oct. 23, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told MPs, “On the basis of the deep knowledge and analysis of our intelligence and weapons experts, the British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile or part of one that was launched from within Gaza toward Israel.”

Israeli troops and tanks are expected to launch a ground invasion of Gaza but Mr. Sunak has joined other world leaders in calling for a “humanitarian pause” to allow British nationals and hostages to be freed and aid to be provided to the Gaza Strip, via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

The British government has backed Israel’s “right to defend itself” and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the ground invasion would fall within that right as long as the action targeted Hamas.

The leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, has been criticised by many for an LBC interview in which he appeared to back Israel’s right to blockade Gaza.

On Wednesday he sought to clarify his comments, saying: “I was saying that Israel has the right to self-defence, and when I said that right I meant it was that right to self-defence. I was not saying that Israel had the right to cut off water, food, fuel, or medicines.”

Mr. Sunak said temporary breaks or “specific pauses” in the violence could allow British nationals and hostages to be freed and aid to be provided to the Gaza Strip.

In the BMJ editorial, the authors say: “These most recent, egregious healthcare-related attacks follow a long history of Israeli violence against health workers, the destruction of health infrastructure, the systematic obstruction of access to health care, and the implementation of eliminatory settler colonial strategies by the Israeli occupation that aim to increase morbidity and mortality.”

‘Deliberate Targeting of Limbs’

The editorial also accuses Israel of “deliberate targeting of limbs leading to traumatic limb loss and disability in occupied Palestine.”

The editorial goes on to say, “As Israel has maintained its occupation of the land and has continued to oppress and dispossess the Palestinian people, Israeli politicians have enabled the construction of hundreds of illegal settlements in the West Bank and provided military protection to settler-led pogroms, property destruction and violent—often deadly—attacks.”

One of the authors of the editorial was James Smith, a lecturer in humanitarian policy and practice at University College London. Footnotes on the article say Mr. Smith “conceived of this commentary, and prepared a first full draft.”

A spokeswoman for the BMJ told The Times of London, “With the agreement of the authors, the production team have been asked to change ‘airstrike’ to ‘missile strike’ and to include wording to reflect that the origin of the missile is yet to be determined.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Mr. Smith for comment.