Israel storms Al-Shifa hospital and blows up “legislative” headquarters in Gaza
On the 40th day of the war in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army stormed the Al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza city, which Israel had chosen as a target for its forces since the first day of the aggression, because it was a command center. and control for Hamas, and blew up the Legislative Council building in the Gaza Strip, in two steps that had significant and symbolic implications for Israel. Last night the Jordanian army announced that 7 staff members of the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza were injured, underlining that Israel has the responsibility to provide the necessary protection to the hospital and its staff.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed after the assault on Al-Shifa hospital that there is no place in Gaza “that we will not reach.” Netanyahu addressed his soldiers during his visit to a military base in the Zikim area, on the border with the Gaza Strip: “Remember when we were told that we would not attack Gaza? We stormed it and they said we wouldn’t get to the outskirts of Gaza City, so we got there, and they said we wouldn’t get into Shifa, but we did, and in that spirit let’s say something clear: there’s no ‘there is place in Gaza that we will not reach, there is no hideout or refuge for the (Hamas) killers. We will arrive, eliminate Hamas and return our captors. “They are sacred missions.”
The Israeli army stormed “Al-Shifa” squares after fierce battles in its surroundings and tightened the siege of the compound, which Israel said contained the headquarters of the Hamas leadership underneath, a narrative also adopted from the United States. Israeli soldiers threatened all young people over 16 to leave the hospital wards and surrender, then subjected hundreds of them to field investigations, before storming the hospital wards and interrogating medical staff and the patients, and then moved to the lower departments of the hospital. the complex in a major operation that continued throughout Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses from the hospital said hundreds of people came out into the courtyard at the start of the storm, raising their hands in the air, and some of them were asked to take off their clothes.
The director of the Al-Shifa complex, Muhammad Abu Salamiya, confirmed that Israeli forces stormed all departments of the hospital and took complete control.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the armed forces entered the compound to work “targeted in a part of the Shifa hospital area, where they are examining the infrastructure and terrorist means of the terrorist organization (Hamas).
As of Thursday evening, the Israeli army had not discovered any command headquarters, which was its first mission, but the prime minister’s chief adviser Mark Regev said army forces had found weapons inside the compound Shifa doctor in Gaza. Then Israeli media quoted a military officer as saying: The armed forces “have found concrete evidence that Al-Shifa hospital was used as the headquarters of the Hamas movement, and in the next few hours we will present some of this tests to the public”.
In a statement, Hamas denied “the occupation’s claim that it found weapons and equipment in the Shifa medical complex” and said this was nothing more than a continuation of lies and cheap propaganda, through which he is trying to justify his crime. aimed to destroy the health sector in Gaza, which is the same banal propaganda.” Which he led during the assault on the Rantisi pediatric hospital; The occupation puts weapons on the spot and plays a weak game that no longer deceives anyone.”
The Israeli army also did not discover the presence of prisoners and kidnappers in the hospital.
Israeli media said that despite the presence of intelligence information regarding the presence of Israeli prisoners and detainees in the Shifa medical complex, the army forces that stormed the compound at dawn did not find any of them .
A senior Israeli official commented that the entry into the Shifa medical complex in the Gaza Strip is a symbolic step to confirm that Israel will enter everywhere in the Gaza Strip.
The official added, according to the Israel Broadcasting Authority: “(The healing) is first and foremost a symbol to underline that there is no place we will not reach.” He added: “We didn’t think we would find hostages, but we will definitely locate Hamas (there) and dismantle it.” He continued: “We will expand our operations in (Al-Shifa) as needed.”
Focusing on symbolic “victories” worried Israeli officials and even the army leadership.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the military operation in the Gaza Strip will continue until the overthrow of the Hamas government and the return of the abducted people. Minister Benny Gantz, a member of the War Council, said that Yahya Sinwar, one of the leaders of Hamas, now realizes that he is not only losing battles, but also losing the war, adding: “Whoever thinks of dismantling the Israeli company, is actually dismantling Hamas. .”
Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that the armed forces “bombed the Hamas Legislative Council building in the Gaza Strip” and “occupied the Palestinian Hamas site in the Gaza Strip, which was a large base for training and launching terrorist operations”. .”
Gendelman published videos of the attacks and raids, as well as photos.
The Israeli army confirmed control of several government buildings in Gaza City. He said he raided a Hamas training camp in the northern Gaza Strip, where “tunnel openings and dozens of different types of combat equipment were found inside, including rocket-propelled grenades, rocket launchers and intelligence materials”.
It was noted that the Israeli army regularly published photos of its soldiers in the most important places in Gaza, such as the Legislative Council, officials’ offices, security locations, in the streets of the Strip and on the beach. They were raising Israeli flags, in a way that symbolizes control and control.
The videos contained scenes of soldiers singing the Israeli anthem or performing Jewish prayers in Gaza.
Since the beginning of the war, Israel has been searching for an image of victory that would restore the prestige of its army, destroyed by the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on October 7 last year.
In Gaza, Israel killed at least 11,500 Palestinians, injured approximately 30,000, and left behind massive and unprecedented destruction that affected entire residential neighborhoods, towers, residences, universities, hospitals, schools, government and security headquarters and infrastructure.
Israel bombed more buildings and mosques on Wednesday, killing more Palestinians in various areas, including Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat, Khan Yunis and Beit Lahia.
For the first time since the occupation’s aggression against Gaza began on the 7th of last month, a fuel truck from Egypt entered the Gaza Strip, through the UN-designated Rafah border crossing, to facilitate the entry of aid after its arrival. the trucks stopped on the Palestinian side.