Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists have used the Shifa Hospital in the city of Gaza as a command center for the fight against Israeli troops, according to US intelligence agencies. Weapons were also stored in and under the building complex and some hostages were temporarily held, several US media reported on Tuesday (local time), citing recently released intelligence information.
The US government had previously supported the Israeli claim that Hamas used the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip as a command center and weapons depot. The information now released is “the most current US assessment,” said the New York Times.
A few days before the Israeli military operation in the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, the Islamists left the complex and destroyed documents and electronic devices, it said. Hostages held in or under the building have been relocated.
The Israeli military entered Shifa Hospital in mid-November despite massive international criticism. There, the army said it found a tunnel complex at the clinic. Pictures and videos presented by the army showed a narrow tunnel and several rooms. According to the military, weapons were also found in the hospital. Hamas has denied that it is using medical facilities for military purposes.
