Israeli forces launched another raid on the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip early Monday on claims that Hamas terrorists regrouped there and fired attacks from inside the compound.
The Israeli military last raided Al-Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command center inside and beneath the facility, which was later confirmed by a US intelligence report released in January.
People sheltering in the hospital said Israeli forces had surrounded the complex early Monday and that snipers were firing at people inside, according to a report by The Associated Press. The people also said the army raided several buildings and detained dozens of people.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said around 30,000 people were sheltering at the hospital, including patients, medical staff and people who have fled their homes seeking safety amid the ongoing war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.
“We’re trapped inside,” said Abdel-Hady Sayed, who has been sheltering in the hospital for more than three months. “They fire at anything moving … doctors and ambulances can’t move.”
The ministry also claimed the Israeli army was directing gun and missile fire at a building used for specialized surgeries and that a fire started at the hospital’s gate.
Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the army launched a “high-precision operation” in parts of the medical complex. He said senior Hamas militants had regrouped there and were directing attacks from the compound.
The Israeli army released aerial video of what it said were Hamas terrorists firing at its forces from inside the hospital and a video of a rocket-propelled grenade striking an armored vehicle, and said its forces detained around 80 people in the raid.
Hagari said patients and medical staff could remain in the hospital and that a safe passage was available for civilians who wished to leave.
Israel alleges that Hamas is using hospitals and other civilian facilities to shield its fighters. The Israeli military has raided several hospitals since the start of the war prompted by Hamas’ unprecedented attack against the Jewish State on Oct. 7.
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Most of Gaza’s medical facilities have been forced to shut down for lack of fuel and medical supplies. Israel’s offensive has driven most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes, and the United Nations reported that a quarter of the population is starving.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, though it does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists in its death toll.
Hamas killed around 1,200 people in the surprise attack on Oct. 7 that led to the war and took another 250 people hostage. Hamas is still suspected of holding about 100 people captive, as well as the remains of 30 others, after most of the rest were freed during a temporary cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The U.S., Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks attempting to broker another cease-fire and hostage release between Israel and Hamas, but the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
