The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have announced that they are carrying out a military operation against the Hamas movement in the vicinity of the largest hospital in Gaza, known as “Ash-Shifa.” This information was shared by the IDF’s Telegram channel.
According to the Israeli military, based on available intelligence, the IDF is conducting a precise and targeted operation against Hamas within the premises of Ash-Shifa hospital.
The objective of this operation is to defeat Hamas and rescue Israeli hostages.
The statement emphasizes that Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF claims that specially trained medical brigades and Arabic-speaking soldiers are being deployed in the operation.
The statement also asserts that the operation in the hospital is being conducted with the intention of not causing harm to civilians, whom Hamas uses as human shields. The Israeli side had previously demanded that the Palestinian authorities cease all combat actions involving the Ash-Shifa hospital premises for a period of 12 hours. However, Hamas ignored this demand and continued to jeopardize the protected status of the medical facility under international law.
The statement further states that the IDF has facilitated the large-scale evacuation of the hospital and maintained regular dialogue with its leadership.
Earlier, the pan-Arab television channel “Al-Arabiya” reported that the IDF had officially notified the medical staff of the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, Ash-Shifa, that it would storm the facility in the coming minutes.
Previously, Israeli President Itzhak Herzog stated that the Hamas command center is located beneath the central hospital in the Gaza Strip.
