Israel claims Hamas held hostages, stored weapons in hospital basement
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has released a video and photos of Gaza's Al-Rantisi children's hospital, claiming the Palestinian terror group Hamas used its basement for holding captives and storing weapons. IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari claimed that Israeli forces uncovered a Hamas command center with an armory of weapons like grenades, suicide vests, and other explosives in the hospital's lower level. He said evidence also suggested Israeli hostages were held captive there, adding it is currently being investigated.
Why does this story matter?
The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza on Monday said none of the hospitals in the northern strip were operational anymore. The United Nations (UN) reportedly said more than 100 health facilities in Gaza have been damaged in airstrikes while over 100 of its workers, along with over 150 health workers, have been killed in Gaza since October 7. Israel has been attacking hospitals, especially Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest health facility in Gaza, claiming it houses the command center of Hamas.
Here's the video shared by IDF
IDF footage reveals makeshift living space, tunnel shaft
The IDF's footage shared on X shows what seems to be a makeshift living area, complete with a small kitchen. A nearby tunnel shaft connects to the residence of a high-ranking Hamas naval officer. Additionally, it discovered a motorcycle with bullet marks, indicating it may have been used to transport Israeli hostages to Gaza after Hamas's unexpected October 7 attack. During this assault, Hamas infiltrated southern Israeli villages and a music festival, killing approximately 1,200 and taking around 240 hostages.
Israel retaliates with intense bombardment and ground operation
Following the October 7 attack, Israel initiated a heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip, accompanied by a ground operation, against Hamas. IDF troops have advanced deep into the besieged coastal region, killing 11,240 people in Gaza, including over 4,600 children and 3,100 women, as reported by Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military is reportedly blockading the gates of Al-Shifa Hospital, where hundreds of patients await evacuation along with dozens of babies on incubators at risk of dying.
Al-Shifa Hospital buried 179 in 'mass grave': Chief
Separately, Al-Shifa Hospital Director Mohammad Abu Salmiyah has revealed that the healthcare facility buried at least 179 people—including infants and intensive care unit patients—in a "mass grave" after a fuel shortage triggered a humanitarian crisis, per AFP. "There are bodies littered in the hospital complex. There is no more electricity," he stated. Salmiyah claimed that not a single drop of fuel had reached Gaza since October 7, which intensified the humanitarian crisis.
