International Desk: Israeli forces have entered Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical center in the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel has also confirmed that it is conducting an operation against Hamas in al-Shifa Hospital.
A doctor in al-Shifa said Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the hospital campus on Wednesday. News from the BBC and Al Jazeera
The Israeli military said it was carrying out “specific and targeted operations against Hamas” in several parts of al-Shifa hospital “based on intelligence information and operational requirements”.
In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the raid was carried out by “medical teams and their forces consisting of Arabic speakers”. Apart from this, it is claimed that the team has undergone specific training to be ready to operate in this complex and sensitive environment.
Israel claims, “The civilians whom Hamas is using as human shields will not be harmed”. The IDF said it had recently asked Gaza authorities to stop all military activity inside the hospital, but it had not done so.
The BBC, however, could not immediately verify the Israeli claim.
Thousands of civilians, including patients and medical staff at Gaza’s largest medical facility, are said to have taken shelter in and around the hospital. However, Hamas has denied using the hospital for its operations and has called for an international committee to inspect the matter.
The Israel Defense Forces insist Hamas operates a command-and-control center in a tunnel beneath the hospital. However, Hamas and hospital authorities have denied this.
Later, the United States also claimed that they had intelligence that a Hamas command center was located under the hospital.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli tanks and bulldozers had entered Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital campus. Dr. Al-Shifar Mokhallalati said Israeli forces are inside the al-Shifa complex. However, there is still a lack of sufficient information in this regard.
“We saw tanks and bulldozers in the center of the hospital,” Mokhallalati said.
He said he visited the main building above the hospital’s emergency room, and it did not appear that Israeli forces had entered it. But he said he did not know the condition of the other buildings, which housed patients and displaced people.
“There is still heavy shelling, and we hear explosions everywhere,” Mohallalati told Al Jazeera.
