The Hamas terrorist organization uses Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as a command and control center, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said Friday during a briefing.
He also confirmed that there is fuel in Gaza hospitals, sharing two recorded conversations by Gazans on the subject and letting listeners know that “this information has been shared with members of the intelligence community. They have been given all of this and more and accepted it.”
Hamas uses hospitals, mosques as shields for underground terror network
Hamas uses Al-Shifa with its 1,500 beds and 4,000 staff members, as well as other strategic and sensitive areas – other hospitals, mosques, UNRWA centers, and more – as shields for its underground tunnel network, Hagari explained. Moreover, he added, in Al-Shifa specifically, Hamas runs parts of its command and control center in different departments, carrying out rocket attacks against Israel and other terror activities.
“Hamas also has an entrance to its terror tunnels from inside hospital wards,” he said. “From different places inside the hospital, you can enter underground tunnels.
Operational Update with IDF Spokesperson https://t.co/3DenBv8hnS
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 27, 2023
“Right now, terrorists move freely in Al-Shifa hospital,” Hagari continued. “Hundreds [of terrorists] fled to the hospital to hide after the massacre on October 7.
“Hamas wages war from hospitals,” he stressed, adding that this “not only endangers the lives of Israelis but exploits innocent Gazan civilians as human shields.”
Call between two Gazans confirming Hamas headquarters are located in Shifa Hospital
In one recorded conversation between two anonymous people, Speaker B asks: “Where are the main headquarters of Al-Qasam Brigades?” Speaker A responds: “Under the compound Al-Shifa. Yes, the leadership headquarters are under the Al-Shifa compound. Bathrooms, rooms headquarters.”
Moreover, Hagari maintained that Hamas and the Al-Shifa hospital have plenty of fuel.
In another recorded conversation between two anonymous people, a speaker says that Hamas controls the hospital and has fuel and that those “with connections” can bring fuel containers and fill them up.
Call between IDF officer and Senior Gazan energy official.
“Underground, I say they have at least half a million liters” of fuel, the speaker says.
“Hamas is stealing from Gazan civilians to fuel its attacks,” Hagari said.
At the beginning part of the war, the IDF and UNWRA confirmed that Hamas had stolen fuel from the organization.
“When medical facilities are used for terror purposes, they are liable to lose their protection from attack,” Hagari noted.
The spokesman, who delivered his message in English for the foreign press, said he and his team have other recordings and videos they would share later.
Hamas: False allegations, could pave way for IDF attack on hospital
The Hamas terrorist organization denied the evidence Hagari presented and warned it could pave the way for Israel targeting the hospital.
“We categorically affirm the falsehood of the Nazi occupation’s story about the use of Al-Shifa Hospital for military purposes, or the presence of any Hamas leadership in it, and we call on the United Nations and the Arab and Islamic countries to intervene immediately to stop the madness of bombing and destroying the medical system,” Hamas wrote on its Telegram page.
Hamas, who is known for engaging in a sophisticated game of psychological warfare, said that the briefing should also be used to confirm “the crime of bombing the Ahli Baptist Hospital.” The hospital parking lot was hit by an Islamic Jihad missile fired in Gaza, several international, independent reports confirmed.
Read More: IDF shares proof of Hamas terror base built under main Gaza hospital
