Israel has made unverified accusations, claiming that hospitals in Gaza are being used for clandestine purposes by Hamas.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) presented what it claimed to be evidence of tunnels and rocket launchers concealed within hospital compounds.
The Qatari-funded Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani Hospital in Gaza City is at the centre of these allegations. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari presented video footage that purportedly shows an underground entrance connected to the Hamas tunnel network.
The IDF also claimed that the footage depicted Hamas gunmen firing on Israeli forces from inside the hospital.
Additionally, the IDF revealed unverified intelligence suggesting the presence of a tunnel network beneath the Indonesian Hospital, also located in Gaza City. Aerial imagery was said to show rocket launchers situated near the complex.
Hagari explained: “Hamas built the hospital on top of their terror infrastructure, before they started to construct the hospital.”
The IDF has previously accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure, such as Shifa Hospital, for military purposes.
Israel emphasised that its conflict is with Hamas and not the civilian population of Gaza. They expressed their concern about Hamas’s alleged use of hospitals to conceal their terror infrastructure and called for an end to this practice.
Furthermore, the IDF disclosed unverified aerial surveillance images indicating that rocket launchers were hidden in cemeteries in Gaza. These images allegedly show rocket emplacements within the Shejaiya cemetery in Gaza City.
The IDF official said: “Hamas’ strategy is to deliberately exploit mosques, schools, hospitals, and cemeteries for terrorist purposes, endangering civilians in Gaza.”
While previous instances of rocket launches from cemeteries had not been visually documented, an intercepted phone call released by the IDF after an incident at the al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza did mention such sites.
The IDF also claimed to have located unverified Hamas rocket launchers near a swimming pool and a playground in Gaza.
