The Israeli military’s focus on hospitals in Gaza is becoming more intense as they invite news media to visit a medical center for children, claiming that parts of the basement were used as a Hamas “command and control center” and hostage holding area. A CNN team embedded with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was shown guns and explosives in one room beneath Al-Rantisi children’s hospital, which the IDF spokesperson referred to as an “armory.” However, Hamas and Gazan health officials and hospital directors deny these allegations. They assert that the basement was used as a shelter for women and children and for administrative purposes, until rainwater made it unusable. Additionally, medical staff claim they were forced to leave the hospital by Israeli soldiers and were unable to evacuate all the patients.
There are growing concerns that hospitals are being targeted for military action, as reports and images from civilians inside continue to emerge. Doctors are warning that they cannot evacuate their most vulnerable patients. The IDF spokesperson claims that a forensic team will test the material found in the basement to confirm any connection to the hostages taken by Hamas. They are also investigating a potential connection between a nearby tunnel entrance and the hospital’s basement rooms. CNN was shown a shaft near the hospital, which the IDF claims is next to a Hamas commander’s house and a school. The IDF spokesperson alleges that the wires leading into the shaft provided power to the tunnel from solar panels on the roof of the Hamas commander’s house.
CNN’s team witnessed extensive destruction on their way to Al-Rantisi hospital, with countless houses, apartment blocks, hotels, and villas destroyed. The area showed signs of bullet and shell holes, and firefights were ongoing. The fighting near hospitals in recent days has created siege-like conditions for medical personnel still working there. While hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law during times of war, this protection may be compromised if they are believed to be involved in military activity. The World Health Organization has recorded numerous attacks on health facilities in Gaza, resulting in a significant number of deaths and injuries.
The orders from Israeli forces for hospitals to evacuate or face the risk of danger from fighting have sparked criticism from global health organizations and aid groups. A joint statement from UNFPA, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization calls for urgent international action to end the attacks on hospitals in Gaza. Doctors at Al-Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, refuse to leave because they fear that hundreds of patients will die if they are left behind. Israel alleges that there is a hidden Hamas center in the basement of the hospital, a claim that both the hospital staff and Hamas deny. Thousands of civilians are believed to be sheltering at the hospital, and approximately 700 at-risk patients are receiving treatment there.
