My educated guess is there is no crater the hospital parking lot because the malfunctioning missile fell into the parking lot at the speed of gravity and then the fuel exploded and burned.
If the engine had been working, it would have hit the ground at a much higher speed and the warhead would have detonated properly which would have created a crater.
Images after the explosion show the hospital intact so it is likely there were few if any casualties inside. The dead and injured were most likely in or near the automobiles in the parking lot. We will never know the actual casualty numbers because the authorities in the area don't dare contradict the official Hamas line. Based on the image, a rough estimate of less than 100 killed and wounded is far more likely than 500 killed.
These crude missiles have the accuracy of a bottle rocket. I wouldn't be surprised Hamas doesn't kill and injure far more Palestinians with them than is reported.
My educated guess is there is no crater the hospital parking lot because the malfunctioning missile fell into the parking lot at the speed of gravity and then the fuel exploded and burned.
If the engine had been working, it would have hit the ground at a much higher speed and the warhead would have detonated properly which would have created a crater.
Images after the explosion show the hospital intact so it is likely there were few if any casualties inside. The dead and injured were most likely in or near the automobiles in the parking lot. We will never know the actual casualty numbers because the authorities in the area don't dare contradict the official Hamas line. Based on the image, a rough estimate of less than 100 killed and wounded is far more likely than 500 killed.
These crude missiles have the accuracy of a bottle rocket. I wouldn't be surprised Hamas doesn't kill and injure far more Palestinians with them than is reported.