The Israeli military stated that the Hamas terrorist group had stored weapons in the basement of Rantissi Hospital, a children’s hospital in Gaza, and may have also held hostages there. The military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, disclosed that a command center with a firearm stockpile including grenades, suicide vests, and other explosives was found by troops at the pediatric hospital. He showed footage of rudimentary living quarters and a tunnel shaft that led to the house of a senior Hamas naval commander.
Moreover, a motorcycle with gunshot marks was discovered, believed to have been used to transport hostages to Gaza after the October 7 attack. In retaliation, Israeli tanks positioned outside Al Shifa hospital, the main hospital in Gaza, where hundreds of patients were waiting to be evacuated. The military accused Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian infrastructure for hiding command centers, weapons positions, and using civilians and hospital patients as human shields; however, Hamas and hospital authorities in Gaza denied these claims.
The intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip has resulted in more than 11,000 deaths, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has launched a ground operation that has seen troops push deep into the enclave. The United Nations has called for a halt to attacks on healthcare in Gaza, while Israel maintained that it is allowing the evacuation of patients and civilians. Hamas has not immediately commented on the Israeli statements.