Israeli soldiers continued operations against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists holed up in Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital and in Khan Yunis, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday morning.
Israel returned to the hospital, Gaza’s largest, after receiving intelligence that senior Hamas figures were inside the compound planning attacks. Since entering the compound on March 18, Israel has killed over 200 terrorists and detained 800 terror suspects, of whom at least 500 have been confirmed as members of the Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups.
Prominent names among the 500 terrorists include:
- Bakr Ahmed Bakr Qanita, Head of Hamas’ Security and Protection Department.
- Radwan Younes Kamal Tafesh, Head of Department in the PIJ’s Manufacturing Unit.
- Hashem Muhammad Hasan Albatash, PIJ’s Deputy Head of Finance.
IDF posted that the operation inside the Shifa hospital was mostly precision strikes, eliminating terrorists while ensuring that patients and facilities are not harmed. Simultaneous operations have also been continuing in Central Gaza and Al Amal.
As part of the operation, patients were moved to a designated area inside the Shifa compound for their safety. The IDF said civilians and staff have not been harmed.
The Press Service of Israel reported that in one of the hospital buildings, Hamas established a small government administration center with representatives of the government ministries, especially the ministries of education, interior, treasury and the police. On the day that Israeli forces entered the compound, Hamas was about to pay salaries to hundreds of its civil and military officials. Salaries range from USD 200 to hundreds of dollars.
In Khan Yunis, soldiers continued operations against terror infrastructure in the Al Amal and Al Qarara neighborhoods, seizing explosives and mortar shells.
In central Gaza, a Hamas squad spotted adjacent to Israeli forces was eliminated by aircraft.
Elsewhere in Gaza, fighter jets struck several tunnel shafts and an underground rocket launcher.
At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the remaining 134 hostages, Israel recently declared 31 of them dead.
Israel has declared an all out war against Hamas, asserting that they will finish the problem once and for all. Thousands have been killed in Gaza so far. Israel’s repeated announcement for Gaza civilians to leave have been futile as Egypt has closed and barricaded the Rafah crossing, and Hamas has been physically stopping civilians from moving to South of Gaza.
(With inputs from ANI)