Israel Challenges Arab League’s October 17 Gaza Commemoration

Israel’s Foreign Ministry criticized what it described as the Arab League’s choice of October 17 to commemorate a genocide of Palestinians. In an Arabic statement on October 20, the ministry challenged the account of the 2023 explosion in the courtyard of Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital that it said underpinned that choice. It said early allegations blaming an Israeli strike spread before verification, while later analyses pointed to a failed rocket launched inside Gaza. The ministry reiterated Israel’s attribution to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and accused the League of perpetuating the initial account.