Israeli soldiers attack Gaza’s largest hospital in operation against Hamas

The Israeli army launched an operation on Wednesdayselective” inside the largest hospital in the Strip Loopwhere thousands of civilians are crowded, but according to Israel and USA houses a strategic command post Hamas.

“Israeli defense forces carry out a selective and precision operation against Hamas in a specific sector of the hospital Al Shifa“, in the city of Loopthe military stated in a statement early Wednesday.

LOOK HERE: US accuses Hamas of using hospitals in its military operations and to hide hostages in Gaza

The army has in place “of medical teams and Arabic speakers who have been trained specifically for this sensitive and complex environment and with the aim that no harm is caused to civilians used by Hamas as human shields”, he added without specifying his objectives.

Thousands of people, including patients, medical personnel and civilians displaced by the war, are trapped inside the hospital. Al Shifasurrounded by Israeli troops.

“I am in the hospital and I see dozens of soldiers and commandos in the emergency department and at the reception and there are tanks that have entered the hospital complex“he told AFP Youssef Abu Reeshsenior manager of Hamas Ministry of Healthwho asked the UN to intervene “immediately” to stop the operation.

The hospital director had stated that at least “179 bodies” were buried on Tuesday in a mass grave within the complex.

“There are corpses scattered in the corridors of the hospital complex and the refrigerated rooms of the morgues no longer have”electricity, said the director Mohammad Abu Salmiya before this operation.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli army had previously warned them of their intention to enter this hospital, which had become the center of the conflict that broke out on October 7.

“We warn against a hospital massacre“, he said in a statement prior to the operation, in which they held responsible Israel, USA and the international community for the security of civilians within Al Shifa.

The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterreshad denounced “the horrible situation” inside the hospital and had claimed a “immediate ceasefire”in the name of humanity”.

US green light?

The Israeli army accuses Hamas of hiding a strategic command position in Al Shifa hospital and of using the civilian population as “human shields”.

The White House aligned itself with these accusations on Tuesday and assured that Hamas and another Palestinian group, the Islamic Jihad“They operate a command and control core from Al Shifa”.

MORE INFORMATION: Hamas says US accusations will prompt more Israeli “massacres” in Gaza hospitals

In a statement, Hamas blamed “fully” of the operation to the American president, Joe Bidenwhich by adopting “the false story” From Israel “has given the green light to the occupation to commit more massacres against civilians”.

Although without directly evoking the Israeli operation, a spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House reiterated that “Hospitals and patients must be protected”.

“As we have said, we do not support attacking a hospital from the air and we do not want to see shots fired at a hospital where innocent, helpless and sick people are trying to receive medical care.“, said.

Shortly before launching the operation, the Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagarisaid that the army had “informed the competent Gaza authorities that all military activities at the hospital had to end within 12 hours“, but what “this was not the case unfortunately”.

“Over the past few weeks, we have indicated on several occasions that the continued use of Al Shifa Hospital for military purposes by Hamas would lead to the end of its protection under international law.“, argument.

Negotiation for hostages

The war was unleashed on October 7 by the bloody attack committed by Hamas in Israeli territory, which left some 1,200 dead – mostly civilians – according to Israeli authorities.

In response, Israel promised “annihilate” to the Islamist movement and launched a bombing campaign in Gaza Stripin addition to a ground operation that began on October 27.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 11,300 people, mainly civilians and of whom 4,650 were children, according to the Ministry of Health of this territory, which has also been under siege for more than a month and with hardly any access to basic supplies.

Furthermore, Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and Israel, on the day of the attack, kidnapped some 240 people who were taken to Gaza, according to the Israeli army.

The situation of these hostages is a complicated situation for the Israeli government, under pressure from the families to obtain their release, and the subject of negotiations in which it is mediating Qatar.

He Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons demanded on Tuesday the Israeli government Benjamin Netanyahu “an agreement to bring back the Gaza hostages”according to a statement.

ALSO SEE: The renowned doctor from Al Shifa hospital who stayed in Gaza to care for his patients and died in an Israeli bombing

In addition, a hundred relatives of hostages and supporters of the cause began a five-day, 63 km march this Tuesday from Tel Aviv to Netanyahu’s office, in Jerusalem.

Egyptian official sources told a television station close to the security services that the head of the Mossadthe Israeli intelligence agency, was in Cairo “to discuss a humanitarian truce and the issue of prisoner exchange”.

On Sunday, Netanyahu raised the possibility of a deal to free the hostages, but Hamas later accused Israel of “distort” the situation.

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