On Wednesday, the Israeli military claimed it was conducting an operation against Hamas at the Gaza Strip’s Al Shifa hospital and urged all members of the militant group to surrender.
Less than an hour ago, a spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry said Israel had informed enclave officials that the Shifa hospital complex would be raided in the coming minutes.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) issued a statement saying, “Based on intelligence information and an operational necessity, IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital”.
“The IDF forces include medical teams and Arabic speakers, who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians”, the statement reads.
According to Israel, Hamas operates a command centre underneath Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital and uses the facility and tunnels beneath to conceal military activities and the hostages. It is denied by Hamas.
On Tuesday, America stated that its own intelligence corroborated those conclusions.
Five weeks after Israel vowed to destroy Hamas in response to cross-border attacks by terrorists, the fate of Al Shifa has become a source of international concern due to deteriorating conditions in the facility.
Medical personnel have stated that the facility is barely operating owing to Israeli attacks and a lack of fuel to run generators.
Over the last ten days, Israeli soldiers have engaged in severe street clashes with Hamas fighters before marching into the Gaza City and surrounding Al Shifa.
Also read: Israel verifies death of captured female soldier featured in Hamas video
