Israel launches another raid on Gaza’s main hospital, claiming that Hamas has regrouped there
Israel launched another raid on Gaza’s largest hospital Monday, claiming Hamas had regrouped there and killing a senior terror official during a shoot-out.
Faiq Mabhouh, the head of operations for Hamas’ internal security force, had allegedly been hiding inside the al Shifa hospital complex in Gaza City and “was working to advance terror activity” when he was taken out, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Some of the tens of thousands of people sheltering in the hospital said the Israeli soldiers, backed by tanks and artillery, surrounded the medical complex. Israel said its forces were met by sniper fire coming from inside.
The army then raided the complex in an attempt to arrest Mabhouh, who died in the subsequent shootout, according to the Israeli military.
After taking out the senior Hamas official, the IDF and Israel’s version of the FBI, Shin Bet, said Israeli troops recovered a cache of weapons at the hospital.
Despite the IDF touting the raid as a “high-precision operation,” the refugees, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry and the World Health Organization criticized turning the hospital into a war zone.
“We’re trapped inside,” said Abdel-Hady Sayed, a Palestinian who has been sheltering in al Shifa for more than three months. “They fire at anything moving. … Doctors and ambulances can’t move.”
The Hamas-run Ministry of Health claimed that a fire broke out at the hospital’s gate during the operation as the IDF allegedly directed gun and missile fire at the building, which houses specialized surgery units.
Gaza officials estimate that around 30,000 people are taking shelter at the hospital, including both patients and doctors who have fled their homes.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus slammed the gunfight at al Shifa on X, saying, “Hospitals should never be battlegrounds.
“We are terribly worried about the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern #Gaza, which is endangering health workers, patients and civilians,” he wrote.
“Any hostilities or militarization of the facility jeopardize health services, access for ambulances, and delivery of life-saving supplies,” the WHO chief added.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the fight was limited to certain parts of the hospital where the military had tracked Mabhouh, with about 80 suspected terrorists arrested during the raid.
The Israeli military also released aerial footage of the hospital that allegedly showed Hamas terrorists firing at the IDF from inside the hospital. The footage could not be independently verified.
Israel has long accused Hamas of using hospitals and civilians as shields from the IDF’s assaults, triggering multiple raids on such facilities since the war began.
The Israeli military had previously raided al Shifa in November after claiming that a Hamas command center was located beneath the facility.
The IDF released several photos and videos of tunnel shafts located near and around the medical complex that allegedly led to bunkers.
But the evidence fell short of backing up the IDF’s claims, resulting in backlash over the initial military operations at the hospital.
Along with slamming the latest raid at the medical complex, the Gaza Health Ministry updated its death toll to 31,645 Palestinians killed in the war so far.
The Hamas-run office does not differentiate between civilians and militants but claims that about two-thirds of the deceased are women and children.
