The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) questioned the international community, pointing to allegations of hospitals in the Gaza Strip being used as ’terror bases.’ The IDF raised concerns about the use of these hospitals by Hamas for its objectives. IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari further said that Israel’s war is with Hamas and not with the people of Gaza. In a video posted by IDF on X, Hagari said, “Hamas has been systematically using hospitals in Gaza to run its terror machine. Hamas built tunnels underneath hospitals and used them to command their operations.
Al-Shifa Hospital from above
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023
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
On Wednesday, the Israeli military revealed what it claimed to be a Hamas military facility beneath Gaza’s largest hospital. Foreign journalists were given a rare glimpse inside the besieged enclave, escorted by dozens of soldiers through a 150-meter stone tunnel to underground bunkers beneath Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The living quarters at the end of the tunnel, equipped with an air conditioner, kitchen, bathroom, and metal cots, appeared to be out of use. Since Israel declared war against Hamas on Oct. 7, it has repeatedly accused the Islamic terrorist group of using Gaza’s hospitals as cover for military use. It has paid special attention to Shifa, saying Hamas has hidden command centres and bunkers underneath the hospital’s sprawling grounds.
We have an important question to ask the international community: pic.twitter.com/6miA6Xg8A0
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023
“Shifa Hospital is the hugest hospital in Gaza, and it’s also the hugest terror facility of Hamas,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesperson, as bombardment thundered nearby. “Hamas battalion commanders were conducting command and control, firing rockets from here.” The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack that killed some 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage. Israel’s intense aerial campaign and devastating ground invasion have levelled entire neighbourhoods, and well over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory. Bent on toppling Gaza’s Hamas rulers, Israel describes the heavy toll as the inevitable cost of fighting militants who use civilians as human shields and fire rockets from densely populated neighbourhoods. Israel says at least some of the hostages were brought to Shifa.
Yes, we have discovered yet another Hamas tunnel, however this time beneath a civilian house near Shifa Hospital. pic.twitter.com/PbDEZQgU8R
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 23, 2023
On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers showed the foreign journalists weaponry they said they found at Shifa, including dozens of AK-47 assault rifles, 20 grenades and several drones. Hagari said the cache was just a small sample. The Israeli military has ploughed through northern Gaza over the past month, leaving a trail of destruction in its effort to bomb Hamas’ tunnel network and other targets. Hamas fighters have used the underground network to ambush Israeli troops. In addition to the tunnel it showed journalists, the army says it had uncovered another two shafts near Shifa. Although the trip was tightly controlled by the Israeli army, journalists could still catch glimpses of life in Gaza. From outside the hospital gates, at least a couple dozen exhausted Palestinians could be seen gathering their belongings, apparently ahead of an evacuation.
Dear world, is this enough proof for you? pic.twitter.com/Z3HNDPNV3O
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023
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View AllWhat remained on Gaza City’s ghostly streets were the ruins of collapsed buildings, spewing rubble onto the streets. The facade of one abandoned building had been blown off, revealing furnished living rooms, glassware in cabinets somehow intact and mirrors still mounted on walls. Fortified bulldozers clawed through sand and gravel to clear the way for more tanks. About 20 Israeli soldiers sat on the side of a road. They smiled and posed for the journalists’ cameras. “There’s a great morale. Everyone’s ready to do what has to be done. Everyone’s ready to fight for the country,” said Staff Sgt. Oren, an Israeli soldier said he is originally from Los Angeles. “Even when it’s hard, you sit with your friends and joke around a little bit. At the end of the day, you know why you’re here.” Hamas wages from war from hospitals. This is the sick nature of the savage terrorists we are fighting. Hamas is using the protected status of hospitals as a shield". Hagari said that the “irrefutable truth” of Hamas’ exploitation of hospitals in Gaza is on “full display” to the world. “We have an important question to ask the international community: “What will you do to stop Gaza’s hospitals from being turned into a terror base in future? Will you condemn Hamas or will you continue to remain silent? I want to make it very clear: Israel is at war with Hamas. We are not at war with the people of Gaza,” he further said. IDF also posted drone footage purportedly showing a “terror complex” being used underneath the Al-Shifa hospital by the terror group Hamas. “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 on hospitals. Will the world condemn Hamas?” IDF posted on X. Earlier, the IDF and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) revealed that a 55-meter-long “terrorist tunnel” was found 10 metres under the Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza. It highlighted that the tunnel entrance contains various defence mechanisms, such as a blast-proof door and a firing hole. Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas has entered its 48th day following the October 7 attack on Israel. The Huthis, declaring themselves part of the “axis of resistance” aligned with Iran’s allies and proxies, have launched drones and missiles towards Israel amid the conflict in Gaza. They also issued threats against Israeli shipping due to Israel’s involvement in the conflict with Hamas, an Islamist militant group supported by Iran’s clerical leadership. With inputs from agencies.