Gaza Strip's RAFAH (AP) — In interviews on Sunday, Palestinians who escaped an ongoing Israeli attack in and around Gaza's major hospital recounted days of intense fighting, widespread arrests, and forced marches past bodies.
The Israeli military describes the Monday operation on Shifa Hospital, which it claims dealt a serious blow to Hamas and other armed groups that had gathered in the area, as having resulted in the deaths of over 170 militants and the detention of approximately 480 suspects.
The combat also demonstrates the tenacity of Palestinian armed organizations in an area of Gaza that has been severely damaged and where Israeli troops were forced to retreat during a similar attack in the early weeks of the conflict.
Living in a five-story building approximately 100 meters (yards) from the hospital, Kareem Ayman Hathat claimed he spent days cowering in the kitchen while the structure trembled from gunfire a.nd explosives.
Dozens of occupants were forced to evacuate the building by Israeli commandos who stormed it early on Saturday. According to him, four men were taken into custody and forced to strip down to their underpants. Blasts thundered around them, and the rest were told to follow a tank south while blindfolded.
The combat also demonstrates the tenacity of Palestinian armed organizations in an area of Gaza that has been severely damaged and where Israeli troops were forced to retreat during a similar attack in the early weeks of the conflict.
Living in a five-story building approximately 100 meters (yards) from the hospital, Kareem Ayman Hathat claimed he spent days cowering in the kitchen while the structure trembled from gunfire a.Major General Yaron Finkelman, who is in charge of Israel's southern command, described the Shifa raid as a "daring, tricky, and most impressive operation" and stated that it will conclude "when the last terrorist is in our hands, alive or dead."
The combat also demonstrates the tenacity of Palestinian armed organizations in an area of Gaza that has been severely damaged and where Israeli troops were forced to retreat during a similar attack in the early weeks of the conflict.
Living in a five-story building approximately 100 meters (yards) from the hospital, Kareem Ayman Hathat claimed he spent days cowering in the kitchen while the structure trembled from gunfire a.According to the Gaza Health Ministry, five injured Palestinians who were confined to Shifa Hospital perished for lack of access to food, water, or medical care. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, called the conditions "utterly inhumane."
In a phone call, Jameel al-Ayoubi, one of the thousands of civilians taking refuge at Shifa at the time of the current invasion, claimed that tanks and armored bulldozers had crashed into the hospital courtyard, destroying ambulances and civilian cars. He witnessed, early in the operation, at least four dead bodies being driven over by tanks.
Due to militants who had "entrenched" themselves in the Shifa emergency room, the Israeli military announced on Saturday that it had evacuated the patients and medical personnel from the facility. It claimed to have established a different location for individuals with severe injuries.
Sunday saw multiple strikes near the hospital by Israeli jets.
Shifa Hospital had ceased operations after the raid in November. Israeli forces revealed a single tunnel that led to a few underground chambers, despite their earlier claims that Hamas maintained an intricate command center both inside and underneath the hospital. They claimed to have discovered weapons in several areas of the hospital.
Shifa is located in Gaza City, which was completely destroyed in the early stages of Israel's offensive following the Hamas strike on October 7 that started the conflict. Israeli military forces have isolated.
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Gazans who fled Israel's siege in and around al-Shifa Hospital describe days of heavy fighting, mass arrests and forced marches past dead bodies.
