Israel Withdraws Its Troops From Al Shifa Hospital Complex, Residents: The Population Destroys The Entire Life Here

The Israeli military around Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Gaza City residents described the destruction in the area around Al Shifa Hospital Complex, after Israel announced its end to its operations and withdrew all troops after two weeks.

Mohammed Mahdi, one of those who returned, described the view of total collapse.

He said several buildings had been burned and he saw a number of bodies.

Another resident, Yahia Abu Auf, said the army bulldozers hijacked an emergency grave inside the hospital complex.

"The situation cannot be described," he said, launching The Times of Israel April 1.

"The occupation (Israeli forces) is destroying the entire life here," he said.

As previously reported, the Israeli military announced the withdrawal of its entire force 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), using an acronym from Israel's domestic security agency, Shin Bet, told CNN.

"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.

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