Israel Raided Al-Shifa Hospital Despite Discovering Palestinian Fighters’ HQ Miles Away
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Israeli forces raided the Al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza, asserting it served as a headquarters for Palestinian resistance fighters, despite having uncovered the group’s actual headquarters just days earlier, according to Consortium News.
The outlet’s report cited a Jerusalem Post story published ahead of the controversial raid detailing how the Israeli military had discovered Hamas’s underground high command center – five miles (8.5km) away from the hospital.
The Israeli military nevertheless persisted with the assault on Al-Shifa, alleging it concealed Hamas’s central base, while omitting mention of the earlier discovery.
The actual Hamas headquarters supposedly featured an underground cavern equipped with oxygen, air conditioning, and sophisticated communications technology, used by Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, as per Israeli army disclosures to the Post.
During the Al-Shifa raid, the Israeli army presented a dormitory-style room and weapons as evidence of a Hamas "bunker," though reporters noted the potential for these items to have been brought in. Questions arose when the Israeli army’s clip of the findings was found by the BBC to be edited.
Following scrutiny, the Israeli army removed a presentation detailing a 3D rendering of Hamas’s alleged command center in Al-Shifa from its website. Media outlets like Associated Press and The Guardian challenged the justification for the hospital raid, questioning Israel's portrayal of hospital infrastructure as "Hamas tunnels" to justify airstrikes.
Critics accused Israel of misrepresenting hospital features and sharing a video—later proven false—allegedly showing a Palestinian nurse lamenting Hamas’s control over Al-Shifa. US officials, initially supporting the Israeli army’s claims, later referred to the hospital as a "command node," implying knowledge that the resistance group operated elsewhere.
Throughout, Hamas and Al-Shifa doctors have consistently denied the hospital's military use, prompting concerns over Israel's actions at a protected site under international humanitarian law.
Israel’s military has said it is “moving forward” with questioning al-Shifa Hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya after the World Health Organization said it had no information about his wellbeing and that of three other arrested medical staff while calling for their “legal and human rights to be fully observed during their detention”.
Israel’s military on Thursday confirmed that they were holding Abu Salmiya for questioning over evidence that the hospital served as a Hamas command and control center under his management.