The al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has been referred to as a terror clinic following the Israeli military’s discovery of a 55-meter long terror tunnel under its grounds. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, is known for using sensitive buildings such as hospitals, schools and kindergartens as shields for their infrastructure. This new information sheds light on the international criticism of the storming of the hospital, which was found to be firmly in the hands of Hamas.
Surveillance footage revealed that doctors and other hospital staff did not reveal the presence of foreign terrorist hostages in the clinic. During their attack on Israel, Hamas terrorists kidnapped around 240 hostages to the Gaza Strip, including citizens from 26 countries. The bodies of two Israeli hostages were found near the al-Shifa complex, with one of them being a 19-year-old soldier who was assassinated inside the hospital by a Hamas terrorist. These revelations challenge the previous narrative of international criticism against Israel’s actions.
The Israeli military’s discovery of a terror tunnel under the al-Shifa hospital grounds in Gaza has led to renewed scrutiny of Hamas’ tactics and their use of civilian buildings as shields. The revelation that even doctors and other hospital staff did not reveal the presence of foreign terrorist hostages in the clinic highlights the complexity of responding to attacks on sensitive buildings during times of conflict.