Israeli military claims to find Hamas terror base in hospital where 'hostages were held': IDF says it has discovered scores of weapons including guns, rockets and grenades along with babies' bottles and nappies
The Israeli military claimed it has uncovered a Hamas base beneath a children's hospital with guns and grenades found among babies' bottles and nappies.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released footage of what it said was a Hamas weapons cache, including explosive vests and rocket-propelled grenades, inside Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital.
Israel's chief military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari showed rooms in the hospital's basement where the IDF believe Hamas terrorists were holding some of the around 240 hostages they abducted in their initial attack on October 7.
'Hamas uses hospitals as an instrument of war,' said Hagari in a room decorated with a colourful children's drawing of a tree on the wall. On the floor lay explosive vests, bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles.
'Underneath the hospital, in the basement, we found a Hamas command and control centre, suicide-bomb vests, grenades, AK-47 assault rifles, explosive devices, RPGs, and other weapons, computers, money, etc,' Hagari said.
'This is Hamas – firing RPGs from hospitals,' he said. 'The world has to understand who is Israel fighting against.'
Hagari, who entered the hospital with troops yesterday after the facility's last patients were evacuated, showed another area he said could have been used to hold hostages. It included what appeared to be a hastily installed toilet and air vent as well as a baby bottle.
![IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari outside the Al-Rantisi Children's hospital](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773003-12745367-image-a-2_1699946778512.jpg)
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari outside the Al-Rantisi Children's hospital
![The 'kind of gear used for a major fight' claimed to have been uncovered in the basement of Al-Rantisi hospital includes RPGS, grenades, and Kalashnikovs](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/01/77765643-12745367-image-a-35_1699924456598.jpg)
The 'kind of gear used for a major fight' claimed to have been uncovered in the basement of Al-Rantisi hospital includes RPGS, grenades, and Kalashnikovs
!['Hamas uses hospitals as an instrument of war,' said Hagari in a room decorated with a colourful children's drawing of a tree on the wall. On the floor lay explosive vests, bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773005-12745367-_Hamas_uses_hospitals_as_an_instrument_of_war_said_Hagari_in_a_r-m-3_1699946817439.jpg)
'Hamas uses hospitals as an instrument of war,' said Hagari in a room decorated with a colourful children's drawing of a tree on the wall. On the floor lay explosive vests, bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles
!['Underneath the hospital, in the basement, we found a Hamas command and control centre, suicide-bomb vests, grenades, AK-47 assault rifles, explosive devices, RPGs, and other weapons, computers, money, etc,' Hagari said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773029-12745367-_Underneath_the_hospital_in_the_basement_we_found_a_Hamas_comman-m-5_1699946857832.jpg)
'Underneath the hospital, in the basement, we found a Hamas command and control centre, suicide-bomb vests, grenades, AK-47 assault rifles, explosive devices, RPGs, and other weapons, computers, money, etc,' Hagari said
A motorcycle scarred by a bullet hole and apparently used by the terrorists to capture people during the October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 were slaughtered and 240 taken hostage, was also found in the hospital's basement.
Women's clothing draped across a chair with a rope discarded around the legs is evidence the basement was used to keep hostages tied up, Hagari claims.
A baby bottle and a pack of nappies were also found with ventilation, toilets, and a shower, and a small kitchen built in to the underground room, the military spokesman said.
In the video, the Rear Admiral walked into a windowless room that had curtains on the wall. He claims this could have been used as a backdrop in a hostage video, adding that forensic experts were examining the scenes.
He then points to a piece of paper taped to the wall with terrorists' names written in Arabic detailing their 'shifts' of when to the guard the hostages.
Hagari also showed video of what he said was the entrance to a tunnel that was next to the hospital, with an electrical panel he claims connected solar panels with wires that plunged down into the tunnel.
'Hamas took all this area under its control and conducted its war against Israelis from this hospital,' he said. 'This is a war crime... This is a crime against humanity.'
'This is not the last hospital like this in Gaza, and the world should know that,' Hagari said.
The army accuses Hamas of using hospitals as cover for its gunmen, alleging that the terrorists have set up their main command centre in and beneath Gaza's largest hospital, Shifa, without providing visual evidence.
Both Hamas and Shifa Hospital staff deny the Israeli allegations.
![Women's clothing draped across a chair with a rope discarded around the legs is evidence the basement was used to keep hostages tied up, Hagari claims](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773011-12745367-Women_s_clothing_draped_across_a_chair_with_a_rope_discarded_aro-m-9_1699947434805.jpg)
Women's clothing draped across a chair with a rope discarded around the legs is evidence the basement was used to keep hostages tied up, Hagari claims
![Hagari also showed video of what he said was the entrance to a tunnel that was next to the hospital, with an electrical panel he claims connected solar panels with wires that plunged down into the tunnel](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773027-12745367-image-a-6_1699947398021.jpg)
Hagari also showed video of what he said was the entrance to a tunnel that was next to the hospital, with an electrical panel he claims connected solar panels with wires that plunged down into the tunnel
![Hagari also showed video of what he said was the entrance to a tunnel (pictured) that was next to the hospital, with an electrical panel he claims connected solar panels with wires that plunged down into the tunnel](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773015-12745367-image-a-7_1699947401444.jpg)
Hagari also showed video of what he said was the entrance to a tunnel (pictured) that was next to the hospital, with an electrical panel he claims connected solar panels with wires that plunged down into the tunnel
![Israel military said it found a baby bottle on top of a World Health Organisation box in the underground floor](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/01/77765645-12745367-image-a-36_1699924462556.jpg)
Israel military said it found a baby bottle on top of a World Health Organisation box in the underground floor
![A pack of nappies was also alleged to have been found in the terror base](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/01/77765647-12745367-image-a-37_1699924466369.jpg)
A pack of nappies was also alleged to have been found in the terror base
![A motorcycle riddled with bullets that troops claim was used by Hamas during the October 7 massacre when 1,400 people were killed and 240 taken hostage](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773013-12745367-A_motorcycle_riddle_with_bullets_troops_claim_was_used_by_Hamas_-m-11_1699947459181.jpg)
A motorcycle riddled with bullets that troops claim was used by Hamas during the October 7 massacre when 1,400 people were killed and 240 taken hostage
![He then points a piece of paper taped to the wall with terrorists' names written in Arabic detailing their 'shifts' of when to the guard the hostages](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773021-12745367-He_then_points_a_piece_of_paper_taped_to_the_wall_with_terrorist-m-14_1699947523057.jpg)
He then points a piece of paper taped to the wall with terrorists' names written in Arabic detailing their 'shifts' of when to the guard the hostages
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77733457-12745367-image-a-23_1699948435702.jpg)
![Weapons are pictured on the ground, which the Israeli military says were located in the Gaza Strip, at a location given as Gaza, in this still image released on Tuesday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/08/77775081-12745367-image-a-2_1699952378280.jpg)
Weapons are pictured on the ground, which the Israeli military says were located in the Gaza Strip, at a location given as Gaza, in this still image released on Tuesday
![Weapons are pictured on the ground, which the Israeli military says were located in the Gaza Strip, at a location given as Gaza, in this still image released on Tuesday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/08/77775079-12745367-image-a-3_1699952387228.jpg)
Weapons are pictured on the ground, which the Israeli military says were located in the Gaza Strip, at a location given as Gaza, in this still image released on Tuesday
Battles between Israel and Hamas around hospitals forced thousands of Palestinians to flee from some of the last perceived safe places in northern Gaza, stranding critically wounded patients, newborns and their caregivers with dwindling supplies and no electricity.
With Israeli forces fighting in the centre of Gaza City, both sides have seized on the plight of hospitals as a symbol of the larger war, now in its sixth week.
Fighting has so far been largely concentrated in a tightening circle around Al Shifa, Gaza's biggest hospital. Gunfire and explosions raged yesterday where hundreds remain trapped inside.
Israeli forces appear ready to enter the hospital, where they have consistently insisted that Hamas terrorists are hiding in underground tunnels beneath the building and using the patients as shields.
This would prove a key moment in the war and show once and for all whether Hamas terrorists have indeed based their secret headquarters underneath the hospital.
But any such move by the Israeli forces to enter the hospital would see civilians, patients and doctors in the middle of fierce battles.
The Al Shifa hospital, which the World Health Organisation has said is 'no longer functioning', has been a primary target for Israeli troops in their battle to seize control of the northern half of the Gaza Strip. Medics and the thousands of civilians trapped inside have told how newborn babies and patients are dying for lack of fuel.
After power for Al Shifa's incubators went out days ago, the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza on Monday released a photo it says shows about a dozen premature babies wrapped in blankets together on a bed to keep them at a proper temperature.
Otherwise, 'they immediately die,' said the Health Ministry's director general, Medhat Abbas, who added that four of the babies had been delivered by caesarean section after their mothers died.
At least 650 patients were still inside Al Shifa hospital, desperate to be evacuated to another medical facility.
The Israeli military said today that it had 'initiated a humanitarian effort to coordinate transfer of incubators' from Israel to Al Shifa but made clear none of the devices, often used to keep pre-mature newborns warm, had been received by the facility.
US President Joe Biden said on Monday that Al Shifa and other hospitals in the Gaza Strip 'must be protected' and he hoped for 'less intrusive' action by Israel as its tanks advanced to the gates of the besieged enclave's main hospital.
'My hope and expectation is that there will be less intrusive action relative to hospitals and we remain in contact with the Israelis,' Biden told reporters at the White House on Monday.
![Palestinians injured in Israeli raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital on Tuesday in Khan Yunis, Gaza](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773355-12745367-image-a-15_1699948192684.jpg)
Palestinians injured in Israeli raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital on Tuesday in Khan Yunis, Gaza
![Palestinians injured in Israeli raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital on Tuesday in Khan Yunis, Gaza](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773357-12745367-image-a-16_1699948215489.jpg)
Palestinians injured in Israeli raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital on Tuesday in Khan Yunis, Gaza
![Israeli soldiers (pictured) completed a route during the fighting in the heart of the Gaza Strip](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773373-12745367-image-a-18_1699948255098.jpg)
Israeli soldiers (pictured) completed a route during the fighting in the heart of the Gaza Strip
![Israeli military vehicles drive down a road, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in southern Israel on Tuesday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773383-12745367-image-a-19_1699948256939.jpg)
Israeli military vehicles drive down a road, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in southern Israel on Tuesday
![IDF tanks move through a field on Monday in Southern Israel](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773393-12745367-image-a-20_1699948259420.jpg)
IDF tanks move through a field on Monday in Southern Israel
![Israeli soldiers drive in Humvees down a road, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in southern Israel, on Tuesday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773387-12745367-image-a-21_1699948261486.jpg)
Israeli soldiers drive in Humvees down a road, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in southern Israel, on Tuesday
![An Israeli flag flys on top of destroyed building next to a mosque in northern Gaza on Monday viewed from Sderot, Israel](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/14/07/77773407-12745367-image-a-22_1699948263630.jpg)
An Israeli flag flys on top of destroyed building next to a mosque in northern Gaza on Monday viewed from Sderot, Israel
'Also there is an effort to get this pause to deal with the release of prisoners and that's being negotiated, as well, with the Qataris... being engaged,' he added. 'So I remain somewhat hopeful but hospitals must be protected.'
Last night, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said 'too many civilians' are dying in Gaza and that there needs to be 'unhindered humanitarian access and urgent and substantive humanitarian pauses'.
The PM told the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London: 'There are things that Israel must do as part of this response.
'We've been clear that they must act within international law, they must take all measures to protect innocent civilians, including at hospitals, stop extremist violence in the West Bank and allow more aid into Gaza... too many civilians are losing their lives.
'That's why I've doubled our aid to Gaza and why we continue to press both at the United Nations and directly with Israel for unhindered humanitarian access and urgent and substantive humanitarian pauses.
'We want aid coming in by air, land and sea, and we're ready to use our bases in Cyprus as a staging post.'
Meanwhile, the IDF released footage yesterday claiming to show Hamas fighters with RPGs outside a second hospital in the territory, al-Quds.
The IDF said some of its troops were fired at from the entrance of the hospital, where militants had 'embedded' themselves among civilians. But the force engaged with the fighters and 'subsequently eliminated' them, they say.
'RPG fire and small arms fire were directed at the soldiers from the direction of the al Quds Hospital in Gaza City,' the IDF said in a statement.
'The shooting was carried out by a terrorist squad that had embedded itself within a group of civilians at the entrance of the hospital.'
Israeli forces yesterday reached the gates of Gaza City's main hospital, under which the IDF has insisted Hamas terrorists have their headquarters in makeshift tunnels.
Scores of Israeli soldiers and tanks have now surrounded the sprawling Al Shifa hospital where thousands of patients and civilians remain trapped in what could be a pivotal moment in the bloody war.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said an Israel tank was now stationed at the hospital gate. Israeli snipers and drones were firing into the hospital, making it impossible for medics and patients to move around.
'We are besieged and are inside a circle of death,' he said.
Israeli forces appear ready to enter the hospital where they have consistently insisted that Hamas terrorists are hiding in underground tunnels beneath the building and using the patients as shields. Hamas denies the Israeli claim.