Israeli forces claimed on Saturday night that they had killed a Hamas commander who had allegedly held 1,000 Gazans hostage in a hospital as human shields. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Ahmed Siam, a leader in Hamas’s al-Furqan Brigade, had prevented civilians from evacuating the Al-Rantisi Hospital in Gaza City earlier in the week. Israeli troops have been urging civilians to flee to southern Gaza to avoid getting caught in crossfire. The IDF reported that Siam and several other terrorists were killed while hiding out at a school building in Gaza following a joint operation with Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency. The IDF added that Siam’s actions demonstrate once again that Hamas uses civilians as human shields for terror purposes.
The operation took place as clashes intensified around the largest hospital in Gaza, Al-Shifa, which Israeli forces claim houses a subterranean Hamas command and control centre. Fighting was said to be taking place less than 500 metres away, with the hospital reporting that it had run out of fuel and electricity. Officials from the Hamas-run health ministry and hospital medics accused Israeli snipers of targeting the buildings and shooting at anyone who came or went. They claimed that the power shortages had already caused at least two deaths, including that of a newborn baby, and that nearly 40 more infants were at risk.
The Israeli military announced on Saturday night that it would assist in the evacuation of babies from Al-Shifa. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said, “The staff of the Al-Shifa hospital has requested that tomorrow, we will help the babies in the paediatric department to get to a safer hospital. We will provide the assistance needed.” The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed its shock and dismay at the reports coming from Al-Shifa hospital.
Israel accuses Hamas fighters of cynically using Gazan hospitals, full of civilians, as citadels and claims that Hamas leaders use ambulances as cover for travel. IDF commanders stated that three days ago they deliberately allowed Hamas fighters to join an evacuation of al-Rantisi hospital in order to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. An IDF spokesman said, “We opened the corridor and let the Hamas terrorists leave with the civilians because we didn’t want to risk the civilians in that whole situation. It worked for them, we’ll get to them later.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Ministry revised the death toll from last month’s Hamas attacks from 1,400 to around 1,200. The reasons for the revised figures were not specified but appear to be related to reassessments of burned corpses initially identified as those of Israeli civilians. The IDF also reported that four soldiers had been wounded during missile attacks on Israel’s northern border launched by Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
In a speech on Saturday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed that global demonstrations against Israel’s incursion into Gaza were putting pressure on its Western allies. He noted the growing international calls for a ceasefire and said, “The only voice that stands out is the US and its ‘follower’ the UK.”
In a meeting in Saudi Arabia hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Middle Eastern leaders condemned the war in Gaza. The meeting was attended by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi. Raisi argued that Islamic countries should designate the Israeli army a “terrorist organization” for its conduct in Gaza.
