The Israeli Military Withdraws All Its Troops And Ends Operations At Al Shifa Gaza Hospital Complex

IDF Nahal Brigade Troops at Al Shifa Hospital Complex. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The Israeli military announced the withdrawal of all its troops from the Al Shifa Hospital Complex in the Gaza Strip, ending a two-week siege operation.

" IDF and ISA troops have completed proper operational activities in the Shifa Hospital area and are out of the hospital area," Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, using an acronym from Israel's domestic security agency, Shin Bet, as reported by CNN on April 1.

"The army killed militants in close combat, placing many weapons and intelligence documents across hospitals, as well as preventing losses to civilians, patients, and medical teams," he continued.

A spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defense at the site told CNN the hospital, which is the largest medical facility in the Palestinian enclave, had been "destroyed and burned to the ground."

"The injured and dead bodies filled the hospital grounds," said Captain Mahmoud Bassal, Monday.

"There is a corpse buried in the hospital yard," he said.

Meanwhile, more than 30 injured people were transported from Al-Shifa to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in eastern Gaza City, Bassal said.

Citing The Times of Israel, since the raids that began on March 18, the IDF said its forces arrested about 900 suspects, more than 500 of whom were confirmed to be militant members, and killed more than 200 gunmen. Among those killed and detained were Hamas commanders and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.