American officials claim to possess multiple intelligence sources, including infrared satellite data, which indicate that an armed Palestinian group caused the fatal explosion at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday. 

The intelligence includes data from satellites and other infrared sources showing the launch of a rocket or missile from positions held by Palestinian fighters within Gaza, according to The New York Times. 

U.S. intelligence agencies have also analysed open-source video footage of the launch, which does not align with the direction of Israeli military positions. Israeli officials have provided intercepts of Hamas officials indicating that the strike came from forces associated with Palestinian militant groups.

“While we continue to collect information, our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts, and open-source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday,” stated Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.

Some U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, cautioned that this analysis is preliminary and they are still collecting and evaluating evidence. 

However, the evidence gathered so far contradicts claims that Israeli forces were responsible for the explosion, which prompted President Joe Biden to express support for Israel’s account of events.

“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Mr Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel during their joint appearance on his rare wartime visit to Israel. He later stated that his comments were based on an American military assessment.

A senior Defence Department official noted that based on the data collected by infrared sensors during the launch, the United States is “fairly confident” that the launch did not come from Israeli forces.

The Israel Defence Forces attributed the catastrophe at the Ahli Arab Hospital to a malfunctioning rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, although the group denied this claim. The Hamas-run Gazan health ministry asserted that an Israeli strike caused the explosion, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians.

On Tuesday, Israeli officials provided American intelligence agencies with intercepted communications between Hamas members, indicating that their side had fired the rocket. 

Israeli officials have stated that the missile was fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group aligned with Hamas. U.S. officials spent the night analysing these intercepts, along with open-source data and videos captured by journalists, all showing a rocket near the hospital.