Weapons and explosive experts with decades of experience assessing bomb damage, who reviewed the visual evidence, also told the news network they believe this to be the most probable scenario.
They also agreed the limited yet available evidence of damage from the site was not consistent with an air strike by Israeli forces.
CNN said a camera from Al Jazeera located in western Gaza and facing east had been broadcasting live on the channel shortly before 7pm local time, according to the timestamp.
This footage appears to show a rocket fired from Gaza traveling in an upwards trajectory before reversing direction and exploding. Seconds later, two blasts are seen on the ground, including one at the hospital.
The news network said that by verifying the position of the camera, it was able to determine that the rocket was fired from an area south of Gaza City.
CNN also said two weapons experts reviewing the footage said the sound in the video was not consistent with that of a high-grade military explosive, such as a bomb or shell.
Israel said a “misfired” rocket by Islamic Jihad militants – a rival group to Hamas – was the cause of the blast, a theory President Joe Biden said was backed up by US intelligence.
A National Security Council spokesperson also said analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts, and open-source information suggested Israel was “not responsible.”
