Major explosion at the Schifa hospital
According to the Israeli army, an underground tunnel complex in the area of the Shifa hospital in the city of Gaza was destroyed on Friday. A video recording showed a powerful explosion in a building complex. At least one of the multi-storey buildings appeared to be severely damaged by the explosion, as the video clip, which was only a few seconds long, showed. According to the army, the Islamist Hamas had misused the tunnel complex for terrorist purposes.
Al-Shifa Hospital from above
Hamas terror complex below
Hamas hides behind hospitals
And here’s the drone footage
That incontrovertibly proves it
Hamas wages war from hospitals
Will the world condemn Hamas? pic.twitter.com/xvvqErP0t1
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023
Despite strong international criticism, Israeli soldiers have been deployed in and around the clinic for days. Numerous patients, including 31 premature babies, were evacuated from the embattled hospital several days after the operation began. According to the UN Emergency Relief Office on Friday morning, around 250 patients and staff were reportedly still in the hospital.
The Israeli military had allowed foreign journalists access to the underground facility before the destruction of the tunnel complex at the Shifa Clinic. Pictures and videos showed a narrow tunnel and several rooms, including a room with two bedsteads, toilets and a small kitchen. The tunnel was reportedly ten meters deep and 55 meters long. According to the military, weapons were also found in the hospital.
Hamas denied that it was misusing medical facilities for military purposes. However, the US government supported the Israeli claim that Hamas had used the Shifa hospital as a command center and weapons cache.
The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East often involve accusations of misuse of civilian infrastructure. Despite international criticism, Israel alleges that Hamas had utilized the Shifa hospital in Gaza as a terror complex, housing weapons and tunnels for terrorist activities.
Source: www.dpa.com
