Israel finds Hamas command center during Al-Shifa storming
Israeli forces suspect Hamas headquarters in hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The soldiers found what they were looking for when they stormed the Al-Shifa hospital.
The Israeli army says it has discovered weapons, military technology, intelligence material and a Hamas command center during its storming of the Al-Shifa hospital in the city of Gaza. An "operational headquarters" of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization with communications equipment was found in the hospital, said army spokesman Daniel Hagari.
In a statement released at the same time, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said that the Israeli army had not discovered any weapons or other military equipment in the hospital. The ministry emphasized that it does not allow such material to be stored in hospitals.
For his part, Israeli army spokesman Hagari emphasized: "We have proof that the hospital was used for military and terrorist purposes, contrary to international law". The storming of the hospital has triggered some fierce international criticism.
"Precise and targeted" military operation
Israeli soldiers entered the Al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday night. The Israeli army spoke of a "precise and targeted" military operation against Hamas. Even before the operation, the Israeli army had declared that Hamas had set up a command center in tunnels under the hospital - an assessment that was shared by the USA and rejected by Hamas.
According to a reporter present at the scene, the Israeli army ended its operation inside the hospital grounds on Wednesday evening. Israeli army soldiers and tanks had left the site and taken up positions around the facility, reported the journalist, who works with the AFP news agency.
Dozens of civilians interrogated
During the storming, the partially masked Israeli soldiers interrogated dozens of civilians, some of whom were stripped down to their underwear, reported the journalist in contact with AFP. According to him, the people were released when the Israeli army withdrew.
The Israeli army had launched its attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip in response to the brutal Hamas raid more than a month ago. On October 7, hundreds of Hamas fighters had invaded Israel and committed atrocities, mainly against civilians. According to Israeli reports, around 1200 people were killed in Israel and around 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
According to the latest information from Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, around 11,500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli attacks.
- Despite the Hamas-run Ministry of Health's denial, the Israeli army continues to assert that Wars and conflicts in the region, such as the recent Israel war, have seen Hamas use hospitals as cover for their operations, including maintaining a command center for terrorist activities within the Al-Shifa hospital.
- The ongoing tensions between Israel and Hamas, marked by episodes like the Israel war, have led to accusations and counter-accusations, with Hamas denying the presence of any military facilities in hospitals, while Israel presents evidence of Hamas's involvement in terrorism, such as the discovery of a Hamas command center during the storming of the Al-Shifa hospital.
Source: www.ntv.de
