Israel says it found evidence of Hamas base at al Shifa hospital during raid
Israel officials claimed they found “concrete evidence” of Hamas operating a military facility beneath al Shifa hospital during their overnight raid as IDF soldiers also delivered much-needed supplies to Gaza’s largest medical center.
The IDF carried out a “precise and targeted operation against Hamas” on Tuesday night inside the hospital complex, which is housing more than 600 patients, 600 staffers, and thousands of refugees displaced by the war.
The Israeli military claimed it killed several Hamas gunmen during the raid and encountered explosive devices just outside the hospital.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the raid was an “operational necessity” to sniff out Hamas’ alleged headquarters beneath the hospital, with a senior military official claiming Israeli soldiers have found clear evidence of the terrorist’s base at al-Shifa.
Independent reports have yet to verify Israel’s claims and the details of the operation carried out inside the hospital.
The allegations against Hamas, however, were echoed by Dave Harden — a former USAID mission director who worked in the West Bank and Gaza — who tweeted Wednesday that intelligence officials knew of their base’s existence beneath the hospital nine years ago.
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“When I was in seat, it was broadly suspected/understood as far back as 2014 that Hamas used the Al Shifa Hospital complex as a command center and base for operations,” Harden wrote.
“I didn’t have direct evidence, but it was recognized by both trusted Palestinians and Israelis in my network,” he added.
The IDF’s raid inside the hospital concluded before noon Wednesday, with Israeli troops delivering stacks of boxes marked “medical supplies” to the facility, which has long been struggling to treat its patients after war broke out on Oct. 7.
The supplies included incubators for newborns, baby food, and other necessities the hospital ran out of following the attacks around the hospital that broke out over the weekend.
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Much attention has been placed on 36 babies in the hospital that require neonatal care after three infants were reported dead during the conflict at al-Shifa.
The IDF said medical teams and Arabic-speaking soldiers were at the hospital to communicate with staff and patients “to ensure that these supplies reach those in need.”
Hamas and hospital officials have repeatedly claimed that there is no command post beneath al Shifa, with the terrorist group blaming the US for giving the Jewish State “a green light” to attack the hospital after US officials continued to back up Israel’s claims.
Palestinian Health Minister Dr. Mai Al-Kaila, whose party opposes Hamas, condemned the raid as “a new crime against humanity, medical staff, and patients.”
Al-Kaila added that the hospital was not given proper time to prepare for the raid inside the hospital.
The US, however, has blamed Hamas for the situation at the hospital, with White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby telling reporters Wednesday that it was the terrorists who chose to install their base inside Gaza City’s largest hospital complex.
“What Hamas is doing… It is a violation of the law of war to headquarter yourself in a hospital,” Kirby said.
The fighting inside al Shifa has been largely condemned by humanitarian groups, with The United Nations’ Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths saying he was “appalled” by news of the raid.
“The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff, and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds,” Griffiths wrote on X.
Omar Zaqout, the supervisor of the hospital’s ER department, said he’s been in contact with doctors inside al-Shifa who described the chaos that broke out throughout the medical center.
“We don’t know what is going on outside, all we’re hearing are explosions, gunfire, screams of older people, and cries of children,” Zaqout told CNN.
With Post wires
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