US doubles down on claim that Hamas used Gaza hospital as command hub
CNN reported on the US intelligence community’s latest assessment that Hamas and other Gaza militants used the enclave’s largest hospital complex, Al-Shifa Hospital, as a command hub, to hold hostages, and to store weapons.
Despite widespread criticism and doubts cast by investigations, the US Intelligence Community reiterated its confidence in the judgment, corroborating information on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s use of the hospital complex for various purposes related to their campaign against Israel.
The new intelligence echoes previous allegations by the Biden administration and Israel, indicating that Hamas had a command and control node in the tunnels under the hospital complex. Israel had claimed that the hospital was the “beating heart” of Hamas operations, while the US reiterated that the facility at least held a few hostages.
However, the intelligence community did not release any new evidence to support its assessment after questions were raised about the extent to which the hospital was a primary command and control node for Hamas operations. The claims made by Israel and the US have not been fully matched with published evidence.
The controversy surrounding the use of the hospital by Hamas has been ongoing, with Israeli forces releasing videos showing weapons allegedly found inside the hospital and a tunnel system under the facility. In November, Hamas acknowledged using the hospital to bring in hostages before detaining them in different locations, but denied using it as a command hub.
Despite the latest assertion by the US intelligence community, doubts remain regarding the extent to which the Al-Shifa Hospital was used as a command hub for Hamas, raising further questions about the evidence supporting these claims.