War in Gaza: Fighting intensifies around Al Shifa hospital

Fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas intensifies in and around Al Shifa hospital. Israeli commanders reported that several raids were carried out inside the hospital to neutralize Palestinian armed units sheltering inside.

The fighting intensified last Saturday. According to Israeli authorities, around 170 Hamas terrorists were killed during this episode of fighting. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the Palestinian group Hamas is "destroying the Al Shifa hospital" by using it for military purposes.

As a result of these attacks, several patients still in the hospital complex had to be relocated elsewhere. On Monday, the IDF released a series of videos showing the military equipment and weapons seized inside the hospital.

Hidden cache of weapons

One of these videos shows an MRI room, with all the high-cost medical equipment still in place, being used by Hamas to store all kinds of weapons and explosives. Mortars, grenades, firearms and ammunition were found hidden in the building, in some cases under the floor and in the drop-down ceiling, according to the IDF.

Hamas' spokesmen denounced that in these three days of fighting, at least 13 patients of the hospital were killed. The IDF assured that its troops acted precisely and cautiously inside the hospital.

However, Israeli commanders defended their decision to conduct operations within the hospital, citing the fact that Hamas uses the building to launch attacks, including gunfire and light artillery. "Our operation in Shifa hospital proves once again: Hamas systematically uses hospitals to wage war and systematically uses the population of Gaza as human shields," spokesman Hagari said.