Israel-Hamas war: IDF says it found “weapons and military equipment” in Al-Shifa hospital, Hamas denies

2023-11-16 02:04:13

The Israeli army said it found “ammunition, weapons and military equipment” from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza where it intervened militarily on Wednesday.

“We have proof that the hospital was used for military and terrorist purposes contrary to international laws,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters. The Hamas Ministry of Health, at the same time, affirmed that the Israeli army “found neither weapons nor military equipment” in the building, assuring “not to authorize” the presence of weapons in its establishments.

The Israeli army carried out a “targeted operation” on Wednesday in the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip where, according to the UN, there are around 2,300 people, including patients, caregivers and displaced people.

In a separate statement, the army clarified its findings: “in one of the departments of the hospital, troops located a room containing technological equipment, as well as military and combat equipment used by the terrorist organization of Hamas.”

Terrorists killed before entering hospital, army says

“In another department of the hospital, the soldiers found an operational command center and technological equipment belonging to Hamas,” according to the document. One of the departments concerned is the hospital’s MRI department, it is specified.

The army has released images of what it says are weapons, grenades and other equipment found in Al-Shifa. A claim that we are unable to independently verify.

“When the soldiers entered the hospital complex, they confronted a number of terrorists and killed them,” the army said. According to Daniel Hagari, civilians were evacuated from the establishment but “there are still many people inside”.

“Hamas uniforms” were also found in the facility. “Two hundred Hamas terrorists who participated in the carnage of October 7 found refuge (in the hospital, editor’s note),” said the spokesperson. “We will continue our search in the hospital,” he added. The Israeli operation inside the vast hospital complex provoked widespread international reactions, sparking concerns and calls to protect civilians.