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02-04-2024
GAZA CITY: Israel’s military says it has pulled out of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after a two-week military operation that has destroyed much of the hospital complex.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), troops “killed terrorists” and found “numerous weapons and intelligence documents” in the area.
The raid happened after Israel said it had intelligence indicating Hamas was using the hospital as a base to launch attacks.
Hamas denies using medical sites to carry out military operations.
Heavy fighting has been reported around the hospital, the largest in Gaza, in recent weeks.
In a statement following Monday’s withdrawal, the IDF said troops had “completed precise operational activity in the area of the Shifa Hospital and exited the area”.
“The troops killed terrorists in close-quarter encounters, located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital, while preventing harm to civilians, patients and medical teams.”
Earlier, Palestinian media reports said dozens of bodies were found in the vicinity of the complex, citing witnesses and the Hamas-run health ministry.
The media has not verified those reports. But the World Health Organization (WHO) has said 21 patients have died in al-Shifa in the past two weeks, while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said more than 200 “terrorists” were killed.
When the raid was first announced, IDF chief spokesman Daniel Hagari said “Hamas terrorists have regrouped inside al-Shifa hospital”.
The IDF said then it was launching a “high-precision” operation on the grounds of the hospital and urged displaced civilians sheltering on the grounds to leave immediately.
Witnesses reported heavy gunfire and tanks surrounding the facility when the raid began in the early hours of the morning on 18 March.
Al-Shifa was raided earlier in the conflict after Israel said it had evidence that hostages captured during the 7 October attack were taken there.
Israel has long accused Hamas of using civilian health infrastructure as a cover to launch its operations, which the Palestinian group refutes.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, has described the situation at al-Shifa hospital as a “siege”.
In a post on X made prior to the troops’ withdrawal, he said more than 100 people were still inside al-Shifa struggling with a lack of food, water and medical supplies but Netanyahu has reiterated that al-Shifa was a “terrorist lair” and praised the efforts of Israeli soldiers for conducting a “precise and surgical” surprise attack.
The Israeli PM made his remarks on Sunday night prior to entering surgery to treat a hernia discovered during a routine check-up.
Early on Monday his office said the operation was successful and Netanyahu was “in good shape and beginning to recover”.
The surgery took place amid demonstrations held in Jerusalem fueled by mounting anger over his government’s handling of the war in Gaza. Thousands took to the streets demanding more action to free hostages.
Around 130 people at least 34 of whom are presumed dead are still unaccounted for after Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
