The Hamas group used Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza to command forces and hold hostages, but evacuated the complex a few days before Israeli troops entered. An American official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, UNN reports.
Details
According to U.S. intelligence agencies, the complex was used by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group to command the forces fighting against Israel.
Israel withdraws some troops from Gaza as war enters new phase01.01.24, 22:22
The U.S. government believes that Hamas used the hospital complex and grounds underneath to conduct command and control activities, store some weapons and hold several hostages, a U.S. official said.
U.S. intelligence agencies received information that Hamas militants had mostly evacuated the compound a few days before the Israeli operation and destroyed documents and electronics as they left.
Recall
In mid-November, Israeli ground forces attacked the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which still had patients. Israel claimed that the hospital is located above the tunnels that house the headquarters of Hamas militants. They used the patients as human shields.
The shelling of the hospital raised concerns about the fate of civilians and patients inside. The World Health Organization described the emergency room in the enclave's main medical facility as resembling a "bloodbath".
Also in November, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that Hamas militants were hiding in the hospital and using it as a shield from military operations, endangering patients and medical staff.
According to Israeli estimates, 1,200 people died as a result of Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. The subsequent Israeli attack on Hamas-controlled Gaza killed more than 22,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.