How Israel army’s secret Unit 504 exposed the ‘misuse’ of Gaza hospitals by Hamas

The latest target of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza is hospitals. In north Gaza, the Israeli military claims to be uncovering one terrorist shaft after another under some of its largest medical facilities. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to be believed, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who masterminded the 7 October attacks, is hiding deep in a Gaza tunnel, “like a little Hitler in a bunker”. He is Israel’s Target No 1. Exposing the “Gaza metro”, the Palestinian military group’s underground network, and the blowing the lid off hospitals is the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spy group, Unit 504. We take a look at the workings of this specialised unit and its key role in defeating Hamas. What is IDF’s Unit 504? The IDF Unit 504 has been at the forefront of the Israeli ground offensive in north Gaza. Israel claims that this group has played a key role in exposing how Hamas has been using hospitals in Gaza to carry out its militant operations . According to a report in The Jerusalem Post, Unit 504 is the Israeli army’s human spying version of the Mossad, the country’s key intelligence agency. It is one of the most secretive units, which has agents that operate beyond Israel’s borders. While Mossad focused on Iran and international terrorism, and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, had its eyes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip , Unit 504 was reportedly involved in Lebanon. It also carries out covert operations in the enclave and Syria. This group, which is trained in spying, has reportedly carried out hundreds of highly classified operations, with highly trained operatives working undercover, often in hostile environments. The work of Shin Bet and IDF Unit 504 sometimes overlaps as they both handle intelligence issues with Israel’s border nations. However, the former specialises in complex missions, while the latter “is known to be able to bring a larger critical mass of operatives and human resources to address a threat or problem”, according to The Jerusalem Post. The group focuses on ongoing military operations unlike the Mossad and Shin Bhet, which involve themselves with bigger strategies. Those working for this IDF secret unit undergo a rigorous training programme, which includes mastering intelligence-gathering techniques, hand-to-hand combat and training in the use of firearms. They are also trained in Arabic for nine months, according to a report by Israel Radar, a media outlet that specialises in geopolitical intelligence. A thorough background check is conducted which includes an investigation into the past activities of potential recruits, the report says. [caption id=“attachment_13413502” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] IDF soldiers work as part of the Israeli military’s Gaza intelligence collection unit. Image courtesy: IDF spokesperson[/caption] What has been the IDF Unit 504’s role in the Israel-Hamas war? Until the 7 October attacks , the human spying work in Gaza was left largely to the Shin Bet, even though the IDF gathered intelligence through tech and surveillance tools. But after the Hamas assault, Unit 504 was pressed into action immediately. It built a makeshift southern headquarters, doubled the size of its ranks and focused back on Gaza, reports The Jerusalem Post. The IDF’s secret collective has been carrying out extensive operations since the war with Hamas began. Many of its Arabic-speaking soldiers have been deployed in Gaza and are working closely with combat troops. Their key responsibility is conducting interrogations and providing intelligence to the IDF. Unit 504 has interrogated close to 500 Palestinians in the last month and a half. Those detained in Gaza are taken to a detention facility in southern Israel. So far, around 300 individuals, which include members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other groups have been grilled. They have provided information about the location of Hamas tunnels, weapons depots, and how Palestinian terror groups operate including the use of human shields, according to reports in the Israeli media.

IDF: Activity of the 504 Unit during war is revealed - A senior official in the 504 Unit: "So far, we have apprehended over 300 terrorists from the terrorist organizations during the ground operation who were brought into Israeli territory for further interrogations. The… pic.twitter.com/puNN5YaPUK

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) November 20, 2023

The IDF has released videos of the Unit 504 interrogation. One video, which claims to be a Palestinian at Al-Shifa Hospital , said that there were 80 to 100 Hamas operatives inside. He said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were dressed as medical helpers and they used the hospital’s emergency rooms for activities, The Jerusalem Post reports.

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Activity of the 504 Unit during war is revealed - A senior official in the 504 Unit: "So far, we have apprehended over 300 terrorists from the terrorist organizations during the ground operation who were brought into Israeli territory for further interrogations. pic.twitter.com/ktN3S01bNV

— Sander (@BRHartsupplies) November 20, 2023

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Since launching the operation at the medical facility, IDF has shown images of a tunnel shaft and military equipment which it says belongs to Hamas terrorists. A video filmed on Friday shows a staircase leading into a tunnel, which the Israeli military says, is 55 metres long and located 10 metres underground. At the end of the tunnel is a metal door with a small window, which IDF said has not been opened yet because of the possibility that Hamas has booby-trapped it, reports CNN. The IDF also released video footage claiming that hostages abducted from Israeli territory were seen at the hospital.

This is WHY Hamas brought hostages to the Shifa Hospital after the October 7 massacre.

Why is Hamas still holding over 200 civilians hostage 44 days later?

This is the question the world should be asking. pic.twitter.com/P8EL5Z8wRT

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 21, 2023

Other Palestinians have reportedly told Unit 504 that Hamas terrorists were using civilians as human shields at the Palestine Red Crescent Society building in Gaza and that 100 operatives were controlling the Al-Rantisi Hospital , the only children’s facility in Gaza, the report claims. The intel unit helped flag 300 terrorist sites for IDF operations, with more than 100 of them having later been attacked by various Israeli forces, the IDF said in a statement. “Until now, we have arrested more than 300 terrorists, as part of the invasion, who were taken for extended questioning to Israel,” a senior Unit 504 commander was quoted as saying by The Jerusalem Post. “The information that came out of questioning such prisoners has had tremendous value, led to eliminating other terrorists, and to enhancing the security of our forces.” [caption id=“attachment_13413552” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] An Israeli soldier stands near boxes labelled ‘medical supplies’ at the Al-Shifa hospital complex, amid their ground operation Hamas. Reuters[/caption] Apart from this, Unit 504 is also helping in the ground offensive by collecting critical surveillance. Its tech team has reportedly developed a virtual reality device to help soldiers get a feel of the battle areas in Gaza. The programme has been created based on real videos taken by spies in the enclave deployed by the collective. While Unit 504 has been key to the success of the ground operations, it has also done its bit in evacuating civilians. It has convinced Palestinians to leave north Gaza by sending 10 million electronic messages, nine million recorded messages and 3,000 telephone calls by officers trained in Arabic. They also dropped flyers urging them to flee to the south , according to Israeli media reports. The exodus of civilians further enabled the IDF to conduct strikes and carry out extensive operations on Hamas infrastructure. However, the claims by the IDF cannot be independently verified. [caption id=“attachment_13413632” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A Palestinian woman holds a white flag while evacuating with a group of civilians from the north of the Gaza Strip towards the south in early November. Unit 504 claims that they urged civilians to leave. Fille photo/Reuters[/caption] What has Hamas said? The allegations by Israel about Hamas’s presence inside Gaza hospitals have been denied by the militant outfit, the Gaza health ministry, and hospital officials. Dr Medhat Abbas, the director general of the health ministry, told CNN that the medical facilities in the enclave “are used to treat patients only” and not “to hide anyone.” It questioned the authenticity of the images from inside Al-Shifa hospital. With inputs from agencies