The Israeli army raided Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, targeting what they claimed was a Hamas command center in tunnels beneath the facility, raising alarms about the safety of the thousands of patients and civilians trapped inside.
Israeli forces raided Gaza’s largest hospital Wednesday, targeting what they say is a Hamas command center in tunnels beneath thousands of patients and civilians seeking refuge from intense combat.
The United Nations and the Red Cross voiced alarm Wednesday after Israeli forces raided Gaza’s largest hospital, demanding that thousands of patients and civilians there be protected.
The operation at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital brings to a head weeks of growing concern for the people trapped inside in grim conditions and marks a key objective for Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas. Al-Shifa is a key target in Israel’s campaign. Dozens of Israeli soldiers, some wearing face masks and shooting in the air, ordered young men to surrender, a journalist in contact with AFP said.
Youssef Abu Rish, an official from the Gaza Health Ministry who was in the hospital, told AFP he could see tanks inside the complex and “dozens of soldiers and commandos inside the emergency and reception buildings”.
The Israeli army described it as “a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area” of the facility. The Palestinian militants have repeatedly denied concealing a base at the hospital.
The United Nations has said it estimates that at least 2,300 people, patients, staff, and displaced civilians, are inside and may be unable to escape because of fierce fighting.
Witnesses have described conditions inside the hospital as horrific, with medical procedures taking place without anesthetic, families with scant food or water living in corridors, and the stench of decomposing corpses filling the air. Anticipating a fierce backlash against the operation, the Israeli military said it had provided evacuation routes for civilians and given authorities in Gaza 12 hours’ notice that any military operation inside must cease.
“Unfortunately, it did not,” the Israeli military said, again calling on “all Hamas terrorists present in the hospital to surrender”.
The Israeli army said its ground teams included medics and Arabic speakers “who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment”.
White House warnings
The White House reiterated its concerns for the safety of civilians shortly after the raid began. “We do not support striking a hospital from the air, and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital,” a National Security Council spokesperson said. The official added that there should not be a situation in which “innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in the crossfire.”
Earlier, the White House had said that US intelligence sources corroborated Israel’s claim that Hamas and another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, had buried an operational “command and control node” under Al-Shifa.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, had earlier stated that Hamas and the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad were using “a command and control center from Al-Chifa hospital” in Gaza, aligning with Israeli authorities. The spokesperson indicated that both Palestinian Islamist groups were using “certain hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including Al-Chifa, and the tunnels beneath them, to conceal and support their military operations and to hold hostages.” He particularly assured that these sites were used to store weapons, and he specified that this information was obtained by the United States itself.
Hamas, which has repeatedly denied the claims, said US President Joe Biden was “wholly responsible” for the assault, accusing his administration of giving Israel “the green light… to commit more massacres against civilians.”
Gabriela De La Cruz, with AFP
