The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday claimed that Hamas is using medical facilities as command centres and its main operations base is located in an underground facility beneath the Gaza’s biggest al-Shifa hospital.
Addressing a press briefing, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the Palestinian militant outfit has several underground complexes under Shifa hospital and the group is using them to direct and coordinate attacks against Israel.
“We have concrete evidence that hundreds of terrorists flooded into the hospital to hide there after the massacres of October 7,” Hagari said.
He also claimed that Israel has confirmed intelligence that there are several tunnels leading to the underground base from outside the hospital, allowing Hamas officials and militants to reach it without entering the hospital.
Moreover, Hagari added, that there is also an entrance to the underground complex from within one of the hospital wards.
“Hamas terrorists operate inside and under Shifa hospital — and other hospitals in Gaza — with a network of terror tunnels,” he said. “Shifa is not the only hospital — it is one of many. Hamas use of hospitals is systematic.”
According to the Israeli military, Hamas’ internal security also has a command centre inside the Shifa Hospital, which is used to direct rocket attacks on Israel. The command centre, the IDF claimed, also stores weapons.
Meanwhile, Hamas has denied Israeli military’s allegations that it is using Gaza hospitals as command centres, terming them “baseless and “a prelude to a new massacre against our people, greater than the one of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital”.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the the terror group’s political bureau, said, “Over 40,000 have sought refuge in Al-Shifa hospital, as they were displaced by the bombing that hit everything…We call on the leaders of Arab and Muslm countries to take action and stop the genocide against our people.”