Israeli Military Claims To Kill 90 Armed Men At Al Shifa Gaza Hospital, Media Says Patient And Refugee Died

IDF troops around Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had killed about 90 gunmen and arrested 160 people in an attack on Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, an allegation denied by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Al Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip before the war, is now one of the few health facilities to even operate partially in the northern part of the region, and also accommodates civilians who have lost their homes.

"Over the past few days, troops have eradicated terrorists and placed weapons in hospital areas, as well as preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams and medical equipment," the military said in a statement.

The statement also published the names and photos of two Israeli soldiers killed in the operation.

Israeli raids on hospitals began in the early hours of Monday. The military, which publishes video of weapons storage in the facility, said it had sent special forces backed by infantry and tanks, based on intelligence that the hospital was being used again by gunmen.

Meanwhile, Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of a state media office managed by Hamas in Gaza, said all the dead were injured patients and refugees inside the hospital.

"Israeli occupation soldiers commit lies and fraud in spreading their narratives as part of the justification of their crimes that are continuous and violate the law, which violates international law, international humanitarian law," he said.

Israel faced strong criticism last November when soldiers first stormed Al Shifa hospital. Troops found tunnels there, which they said were used as Hamas command and control centers. Hamas and medical staff denied that the hospital was used for military purposes or to protect the fighters.

"What happened at Al Shifa Hospital is a war crime and is part of a genocide war carried out by the Israeli occupation," said senior Hamas Basem Naim official, who previously served as health minister.