Israeli Military Claims Killed 20 Gunmen in Attack on Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza

Israeli military land operations in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Israeli troops raided the Al Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza, Palestine on Monday morning, saying they killed more than 20 gunmen, in an operation that Palestinian health authorities said caused many casualties and sparked a massive fire in one of the buildings.

Special forces, supported by infantry and tanks, carried out a "precise operation" based on intelligence that the hospital was again being used by Hamas leaders, and were fired upon when they entered the compound, the military said.

"We arrested more than 200 suspected terrorists and are currently being interrogated. We killed more than 20 people inside the hospital complex," said Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, reported by Reuters, March 19.

Furthermore, Admiral Hagari also revealed that one Israeli soldier was killed in the incident.

"Hamas is trying to rebuild its base in the hospital and use it as a refuge for fleeing terrorists. We will not allow this and continue to attack any place where Hamas tries to regain its grip," explained Admiral Hagari.

Israeli soldiers distribute new leaflets around hospitals in Gaza City.

“To everyone who is or is a refugee in Rimal and the refugees in Al Shifa and surrounding areas: you are in a dangerous combat zone. "The IDF is operating hard in its residential areas to destroy terror infrastructure," said the statement, ordering residents to take the coastal road to Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

The military said troops had been instructed on the importance of operating with caution and the steps to be taken to avoid harm to patients, civilians, medical staff, and medical equipment, and said patients were not required to be evacuated.

Al Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip before the war, is now the only partially operational health facility in the north, and also accommodates hundreds of displaced civilians.

"Suddenly, we started hearing the sound of explosions, several bombings, and soon the tanks started moving, they came from the western road towards Al Shifa, then the sound of gunfire and explosions increased," said Mohammad Ali, who lives about a kilometer away. hospital.

"We don't know what happened, but it looks like this is a re-invasion of Gaza City," he added, saying military activity started at around 01:00 local time.

Meanwhile, Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry said a fire broke out at the entrance to the hospital complex, causing cases of shortness of breath among refugee women and children taking shelter at the hospital. It said communications had been lost, with people trapped inside an operations and emergency unit in one of the buildings.

"There were casualties, including deaths and injuries, and it was impossible to save anyone due to the intensity of the fire and the target was anyone who approached the windows," the ministry explained.

Separately, Hamas said in a statement, the Israeli military had committed a new crime by directly targeting the hospital building without regard for the patients, medical staff or refugees inside.