Those indomitable Israelis are at it again. They have just been conducting a three-day raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest such institution in Gaza. This is the second time the IDF has raided Al-Shifa. During its first raid four months ago, it discovered large amounts of weaponry hidden in the hospital, and a shaft leading directly to a large tunnel node under the hospital. The “international community” — so unsympathetic to the Jewish state — has warned Israel not to attack hospitals. The IDF does not “attack hospitals,” but seeks out the Hamas members hidden in such buildings; it raids these places only when it has intelligence that there are Hamas fighters, command-and-control centers, and weapons hidden in them. In every raid on a Gazan hospital so far, the IDF has found considerable evidence of that Hamas presence. Yet those gullible international scolds want us to ignore that evidence, and instead note that Palestinian medical personnel, “under extremely difficult conditions created by the barbaric IDF continue to treat patients.”
The Al-Shifa Hospital, we have been repeatedly told, was a “civilian structure”; its head of hospital assured the world that there were no Hamas fighters or weapons in the hospital. The IDF, relying on its own sources of information, knew quite otherwise, and raided Al-Shifa, where 30,000 Gazans had taken refuge both inside the many buildings that constitute the hospital complex, and on its grounds just outside, on March 18. They were attacked by Hamas combatants who had been hiding in the hospital; the IDF has so far killed a total of ninety Hamas fighters, both inside the hospital buildings and on the hospital grounds. In addition, the IDF rounded up 300 Gazans found in the hospital who were suspected of being Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad members, and following an investigation, has now released 140 of them. One of those the IDF killed on the first day of the raid was a senior Hamas commander, Faiq Mabhouh.
More on the raid can be found here: “Gaza Ministry of Health calls on NGOs to be human shields for Hamas in Shifa Hospital,” Elder of Ziyon, March 19, 2024:
Ahead of the IDF raid against Hamas terrorists at Shifa Medical Center on Monday, the Gaza Ministry of Health called on international NGOs to act as human shields to protect them.
In a statement that also accused Israel of deliberately destroying Gazas’ health system and violating the Geneva Conventions, the ministry said, “We call on international institutions to immediately go to Al-Shifa Medical Complex to protect it and everyone inside it and prevent the specific Israeli targeting of it.”
In other words, Hamas wants the employees of international NGOS working in Gaza to go to Al-Shifa Hospital, which the IDF warned of an impending attack, to risk their own lives as “human shields.” Those NGOs will lie for Hamas — just look at the reports on Israel and the Palestinians by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International for examples — but have no intention of having their employees die for Hamas.
There is no way that the administrators at Shifa didn’t know Hamas was hiding inside. A top leader of Hamas’ Interior Ministry had an office there. There were weapons caches and safes filled with terrorist money there….
Al-Shifa was crawling with Hamas fighters. Ninety of them have been killed between March 18 and March 20, and IDF soldiers are still combing the vast hospital complex. They have found huge quantities of weaponry hidden throughout the hospital. 300 Gazans were oirignally taken from the hospital by the IDF, suspected of being Hamas or PIJ members. Upon further investigation, the IDF released 140 of them. These numbers are clear evidence that Al-Shifa was not just a hospital, but a major Hamas outpost as well. And the hospital administrators must have been made aware of Hamas’ presence; so many gunmen — hundreds of them — and so many weapons, would have been hard to ignore.
The ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] defines under what circumstances an army may attack a hospital:
Specific protection to which hospitals are entitled shall not cease unless they are used by a party to the conflict to commit, outside their humanitarian functions, an “act harmful to the enemy”.
Here are some of those acts allowed by the hospital that were “harmful to the enemy” (Israel):
Hamas had hidden vast quantities of weapons in Al-Shifa.
Hamas had a command-and-control center inside Al-Shifa.
Hamas fighters were stationed both inside Al-Shifa and on its grounds; 90 of them were killed by the IDF in the raid that lasted from March 18 to March 20.
Another 300 men who were found inside the hospital and were suspected of being members of Hamas, were taken into custody. 140 of them have been released by the IDF. The remaining 160 are still in custody, while the IDF conducts further investigations. It will free those it determines had no Hamas or PIJ connection.
All of the above show that the Al-Shifa hospital was much more than a hospital: it played an important role in furthering the activities of Hamas. As such, it was no longer protected under international law from attack by the IDF.
Four months ago, the IDF raided the Al-Shifa Hospital and found a tunnel shaft that they said supported their contention that the armed group had used it to conceal military operations.They destroyed the shaft and the tunnel to which it led.
It raided Al-Shifa again on March 18, because Israel said that the hospital complex had doubled as a secret Hamas military command center, calling it one of many examples of civilian facilities that Hamas uses to shield its activities.
The vast stores of weaponry, the 90 dead Hamas and PIJ fighters, the 160 suspects whom the IDF is holding for further investigation — it has already let go 140 others whom it determined had no link to Hamas — are enough to justify the raid.
This was a spectacular raid, carried out by the IDF under hugely difficult conditions — and yet the IDF managed to carry it off brilliantly, without a single patient, nurse, or doctor being wounded or killed. Shouldn’t this be acknowledged by the world? Of course not. Instead, the media will headline their reports: “Israel attacks largest hospital in Gaza, possibly violating international law.”
Hugh Fitzgerald says
An update:
As of the evening of March 23, the IDF has killed more than 170 Hamas terrorists and has taken into custody over 800 more suspects, and operations are continuing at the Al-Shifa Hospital complex.
Tatanka says
Keep going Israel ,i stand by you.
Shalom says
+1
Mind watch says
Yes, these sleazy 2-faced militants got a good taste of their own medicine which is badly needed – they are subhuman- so it pointless showing them any respect – they are murdering scoundrels that should be gagged onsite and taken to the nearest prison. The hospital staff all lie for these baby killers – they are a loathsome bunch. As they are not humans, they should be chained to one another in cattle herds, and trucked away. This is the only way to treat lying killers. – let them know what it’s like to be on the receiving end for a change,
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Knowing what “hospitals” are in Gaza, even if Israel were to indiscriminately level one, w/o bothering about who was inside, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid
James Lincoln says
Just wondering:
In a combat raid, how does the IDF differentiate between Hamas and the so-called “Palestinians”?
maria says
No need both are jJw haters and murderers and must be neutralized
Dick Tracy says
Should we care?
Bull Herman says
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA ALL LANDS SHALL BE ISRAELI!!
OLD GUY says
Israel is doing the whole civilized world a big favor in destroying Hamas. Now if only we could get rid of CULT ISLAM.
Shalom says
+1
Rick Olsha says
AM ISRAEL CHAI, V’KAYAM !!!!
Alena says
‘The Spectacular Raid on Hamas Combatants Inside Al-Shifa Garrison’
How is this World?
Yogi Bear says
@Mr. Fitzgerald:
You write:
‘Here are some of those acts allowed by the hospital that were “harmful to the enemy” (Israel):
Hamas had hidden vast quantities of weapons in Al-Shifa.
Hamas had a command-and-control center inside Al-Shifa.
Hamas fighters were stationed both inside Al-Shifa and on its grounds; 90 of them were killed by the IDF in the raid that lasted from March 18 to March 20.’
Of course it stands to reason that the mohamedan scum present in Al Shifa committed acts harmful to the enemy, but these are facts, not acts, sorry!