Before the Israeli army stormed the Shifa medical complex in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, it consistently spoke of it as a “command center” for Hamas operations, accusing it of planning attacks against Israel from within.
When Israeli forces entered the hospital, they revealed videos and photos, which the army said were “proof” of what they had previously claimed about the hospital.
An article in the American newspaper “The New York Times” states that Israel “needs time, which can take months, to prove its accusations that Hamas (classified as a terrorist organization in the United States and other countries) uses Al-Shifa hospital as an operations command center, or perhaps Israel will never be able to prove it.” “.
Meanwhile, an analysis by the British newspaper The Guardian stressed that the “evidence” the Israeli army reported from inside Al-Shifa hospital “failed to prove” that the medical complex was being used as a for the management of attacks against Israel.
The Israeli military has released images of what it called “the discovery of terrorist infrastructure inside hospitals used by the terrorist organization Hamas.”
War broke out between Israel and Hamas after a surprise attack launched by the movement on military sites and residential areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip on October 7, which led to the killing of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, including women and children. and according to Israeli authorities, more than 240 people have been kidnapped.
Since then, Israel has responded with intense air, sea and land bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, followed by an ongoing ground operation. The death toll in Gaza has reached over 11,500 people, most of whom are women and children. , according to Gaza health authorities.
“Weeks, months or never”
American military officials told the New York Times on Friday that “it may take weeks or months for Israel to provide comprehensive evidence of its use of Al-Shifa hospital as a center for Hamas operations, or it may never be able to do so.” . “
American and Israeli officials pointed out that “many Gaza tunnels are booby-trapped, with bombs that are detonated remotely or poised to explode when a person passes through the tunnel and stumbles upon a wire prepared in advance for that purpose.”
In 2013, 6 Israeli soldiers were injured, one of whom was blinded, after they were exposed to a trap and explosion inside a Hamas tunnel when trying to insert a camera.
The New York Times quoted a Pentagon official on Friday as saying, “Whether the situation is similar to that of Al-Shifa hospital or not, Israeli forces will consider sending soldiers into the tunnels as a last option.”
Washington expresses its “deep concern” over the wounding of staff at the Jordanian hospital in Gaza
The United States expressed “deep concern” Thursday over Jordanian medical personnel who were injured outside a Jordanian field hospital while providing critical medical care in Gaza.
Pentagon officials explained to the newspaper: “There was anger over Israel’s decision not to plan the operation in Gaza for longer before its launch, which could have allowed them to evacuate civilians.”
A senior official noted: “Without any strategy for how to reduce the amount of civilian casualties, Israel is putting itself in the position of looking for an excuse for the large number of civilian deaths in Gaza, and then looking for evidence that the hospital it is used as a center to command Hamas operations.”
He also added that this “puts pressure on Israel to prepare a dossier and evidence that could take months.”
“Photos don’t prove the story”
An analysis by the British newspaper “The Guardian” indicated on Friday that the photos announced by the Israeli army from Al-Shifa hospital “failed to prove the story that Hamas was using the medical complex as a center to command its operations”.
The newspaper refers to an analysis by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), according to which “the footage that the Israeli army viewed from inside the hospital, including the weapons magazine behind the MRI machine, was recorded hours before the officers arrived.” journalists who were supposed to review it.” “In front of them.”
The BBC report stated that the Israeli military “indicated that the video clip had not been edited and had been filmed once, but the British Authority’s analysis indicated that it had been edited”.
The Guardian pointed out that “any day without compelling evidence from Israel regarding the assault on Al-Shifa hospital it will be difficult for it to continue using that argument” (using the medical complex as a Hamas operations centre).
Newspaper: Interception of communications is behind Washington’s claims about Hamas activity within Al-Shifa
The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, revealed Wednesday that the American assessment of the activity of Hamas members and other Palestinian militants inside Gaza’s Shifa hospital was based in part on intercepted communications of fighters inside the complex.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Israel is doing everything in its power to keep civilians out of harm’s way” during fighting with Hamas in Gaza, including dropping leaflets urging them to flee, but his Attempts to reduce human losses to a minimum “does not work”.
US President Joe Biden said Thursday that “Hamas is committing war crimes by having its military headquarters under a hospital,” repeating a statement made Tuesday by a White House spokesperson.
Biden expressed his confidence in US intelligence supporting this “truth,” according to Reuters.
The Israeli army stormed the Al-Shifa medical complex on Wednesday, after violent clashes around the facility, which Israel accuses Hamas of using for military purposes, which the movement denies.
The Israeli army said it found “ammunition, weapons and military equipment” belonging to Hamas.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “We have evidence that the hospital was used for military and terrorist purposes in violation of international laws.”
On the other hand, Hamas, which has repeatedly denied using the hospital for military operations, released a statement describing the Israeli accusations as “a made-up story that no one will believe.”
For its part, Hamas’ Ministry of Health confirmed that the Israeli army “did not find any equipment or weapons” in Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, explaining that it “basically does not allow” the presence of weapons in affiliated hospitals.