(NewsNation) — As Israel and Hamas trade blame for a strike on a Gaza hospital that may have killed several hundred Palestinians, an Israeli special operations veteran and counterterrorism analyst suggested it’s unlikely Israel intentionally struck the building.
“Israel doesn’t target civilians,” Aaron Cohen said Tuesday on “CUOMO.”
The Hamas-run Health Ministry said at least 500 people had been killed in the massive blast that rocked a Gaza City hospital packed with wounded and other Palestinians seeking shelter.
Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military said the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told NewsNation on Tuesday the situation was under investigation but that Israel “did not intentionally strike any hospital.”
“It’s concerning that Israel has to reduce itself to a point where it has to control its image and its public relations view to the rest of the world,” said Cohen, who served in the Israel Defense Forces in the late 1990s. “We’re at war right now. … We saw what Hamas is, and Israel’s focus right now is on getting our people back … and bringing back as many unharmed Israelis is possible.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.