Israeli troops discovered Hamas weapons and combat gear in Al Shifa hospital during a search on Wednesday, according to chief Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. The army released a video showcasing the recovered material, including automatic weapons, grenades, ammunition, and flak jackets, from an undisclosed building within the hospital complex. Hamas, engaged in a conflict with Israeli forces in Gaza, dismissed the announcement as false propaganda. Following an Israeli invasion of the Palestinian enclave last month, Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas after the group launched a surprise assault on southern Israel on October 7th.
The military has been targeting hospitals in northern Gaza, claiming that Hamas has been using them as command centers to avoid airstrikes. Israeli soldiers forcibly entered Al Shifa hospital overnight and spent the day searching specific locations. Hagari stated that the presence of these assets in Al Shifa and Rantissi hospitals demonstrates that hospitals have been exploited for military purposes, violating international law. On Monday, Israeli soldiers entered Rantissi pediatric hospital and released a video showing alleged weapons stored by Hamas in the building’s basement. The military did not mention finding any tunnel entrances in Al Shifa, despite previous claims that Hamas had constructed a tunnel network beneath the hospital. Both Hamas and hospital staff have denied these allegations.
Hagari assured that the search would continue meticulously and in accordance with intelligence to gather more information and discover additional assets. Hamas accused Israel of fabricating evidence to justify their destructive actions in Gaza’s health sector. Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, speaking on CNN, stated that Israeli forces entered a specific area in the hospital and engaged in a firefight before entering, but there was no engagement once inside. Hecht clarified that the raid at Al Shifa was not focused on hostages, despite previous suggestions that some of the captives seized by Hamas might be located underneath Gazan hospitals.
According to Israel, the Hamas attack on October 7th resulted in the death of 1,200 people. However, Gaza health officials claim that over 11,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive since then. The report was compiled by Crispian Balmer and Emily Rose, with additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington, and edited by James Mackenzie, Nick Macfie, Timothy Heritage, and Cynthia Osterman.
