2023-11-16 11:59:05
Israeli forces conduct inspections in Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital after finding rifles
After storming it and strengthening control over it, on Wednesday, Israeli forces are conducting inspections and interrogations with the crews and employees of the Shifa Complex, following Israeli officers’ announcement that they found rifles, ammunition, protective armor, and other military equipment, inside the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip.
In a video filmed at Al-Shifa Hospital, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus showed about 10 Hamas rifles, ammunition, protective vests and military uniforms, some of which he said were behind an MRI machine and others in nearby storage units.
Al-Hurra website was unable to verify the information contained in the video from an independent source.
For his part, the Israeli army spokesman for the Arab media, Avichay Adraee, said that “the Shaldag commando unit and other special units under the command of the 36th Division are continuing their work in a precise manner in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital, where they are carrying out combing work in search of the infrastructure and terrorist means of the Hamas terrorist organization.“
According to Adraee’s post on the Military equipment used by the terrorist organization Hamas.
He added, “The fighters found a room containing special technological means, combat equipment, and military equipment used by the Hamas terrorist organization. In another section, an operational headquarters and technological means belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization were found, which indicates that the terrorist organization is using the hospital for terrorist purposes.”
Hamas, which has repeatedly denied using the hospital for military operations, issued a statement describing the Israeli allegations as a “fabricated story that no one will believe.”
At the same time, the Hamas Ministry of Health confirmed that the Israeli army “did not find any equipment or weapons” in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, which it stormed on Wednesday, explaining that it “fundamentally does not allow” the presence of weapons in its affiliated hospitals.
Al-Shifa Hospital became a pivotal role in the efforts Israel made over forty days to wrest control of Gaza from Hamas, and Israel’s seizure of it was an important step that could determine the pace and extent of its war with Hamas, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper reported, “The seizure of Al-Shifa Hospital, as well as any evidence provided by the Israelis about Hamas’ military presence there, may affect international sentiment toward the invasion,” as well as the ongoing negotiations to release the kidnapped people.
A high-ranking Israeli official, who spoke to the New York Times to discuss the ongoing operation, on condition of anonymity, said that “the forces were interrogating people inside the hospital and found weapons,” but he refused to provide evidence or further details, at a time when the Israeli army had not announced this.
Palestinian officials, heads of United Nations agencies, and some Middle Eastern leaders condemned the attack on the hospital, warning that it risked the lives of the most vulnerable groups in Gaza.
According to the United Nations, there are about 2,300 people in the medical complex, including patients, health care providers, and displaced people.
The new operation comes shortly after the UN Security Council called for “truces and humanitarian corridors” in the Gaza Strip, in its first decision since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
For years, Israel says Hamas built a military command center beneath the hospital, turning its patients into human shields. The United States said on Tuesday that it has intelligence information that supports what Israel is saying.
For Palestinians, Al-Shifa Hospital is a civilian institution that has served for weeks as a refuge for thousands of displaced Gazans, in addition to the seriously ill and wounded.
Hamas and the hospital leadership deny using it as a military base.]
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