US says Hamas has command centre under Al-Shifa hospital

According to National Security spokesperson John Kirby, the organization kept weapons there and was ready for an Israeli attack.

This is the first time the US has independently supported Israel’s assertions that Hamas hides its bases in hospitals. This is denied by Hamas.

The remark came as Israel was under increasing international pressure to safeguard civilians besieged in hospitals.

US President Joe Biden stated that the Al-Shifa hospital “must be protected” from the severe violence surrounding the institution, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that Israel must behave in accordance with international law.

In recent days, fighting has centered on the area surrounding Al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital. Thousands of people are thought to be taking refuge there.

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Previously, the US administration exclusively referenced open-source intelligence and refused to confirm the existence of its own sources.
“Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members operate a command and control node from Al-Shifa in Gaza City,” the official claimed.

“They have stored weapons there and they are prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against that facility.”

Mr. Kirby stated that this demonstrated how difficult the Israeli operation was because “Hamas has deeply embedded itself within the civilian population.”

“To be clear, we do not support airstrikes on hospitals, and we do not want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, and sick people are simply trying to get the medical care they deserve, not to be caught in a crossfire.” “Hospitals and patients must be safeguarded,” he stated.

“As we have been clear on multiple occasions, Hamas’s actions do not lessen Israel’s responsibility to protect civilians in Gaza, and this is obviously something we’re going to have an active conversation with our counterparts about.”

In response to the White House’s remarks on Tuesday, Hamas said in a statement obtained by AFP that Israel would use Washington’s assessment to justify “brutal massacres” against medical facilities, “destroying Gaza’s healthcare system and displacing Palestinians.”

Doctors inside Al-Shifa said dozens of people have perished due to a lack of fuel, medicine, and power, including at least three preterm babies.

According to them, more than 100 dead lie unburied in courtyards, and anyone attempting to leave the complex – or even walk between buildings – risks death owing to the violence in the neighborhood.

Despite what it claims is the presence of Hamas in Gaza hospitals, Israel maintains that it has not shot directly on them. The Israeli military has pledged to eliminate Hamas, a designated terrorist organization in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, in the Gaza Strip.

Israel released video on Monday of what it claimed was a Hamas bunker beneath the Rantisi children’s hospital in northern Gaza City.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF’s chief spokesman, is shown in a six-minute video labeled “raw footage” indicating he is at a tunnel 200 meters from Rantisi.

In the video, Hagari shows to the tunnel entrance, which he claims is “connected” to the hospital, as well as electrical cable that he claims proves solar panels were powering a bunker.

There is no other evidence confirming the establishment of a command center, but an IDF official stated that investigations were ongoing.

The video then switches to subterranean rooms, which he claims are inside Rantisi Hospital. He gestures to a stash of weaponry, including explosive belts and grenades, as well as a motorcycle with gunshot damage.

According to Rear Adm Hagari, there are indications that hostages captured by Hamas during the group’s raid on Israel were detained in the basement.

A image shows a chair with rope ties beneath a control panel labeled “World Health Organization,” with a child’s feeding bottle laying on top.

In another room, he gestures to a wall calendar that counts down the days in Arabic beginning on October 7th, the date of Hamas’s incursion into southern Israel.

According to Rear Adm Hagari, the calendar indicates the “terrorists’ shifts” as they secured the chamber. Names, he claims, were written with work times.

The “al-Aqsa flood” – Hamas’ codename for the 7 October attacks – is mentioned at the top of this text. The Arabic terms, on the other hand, translate to the days of the week rather than names.

He claims that the room is adorned with drapes in the style of a video studio. There is no similar pattern in the background of any of the captive movies published by Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

CNN journalists were led around the scene and the hospital, which had been evacuated on Friday. BBC News has not visited the location and is unable to independently verify any of Hagari’s claims.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, on the other hand, responded in detail to the Israeli charges, calling them a “theatrical farce.”

It stated that the underground room depicted in the film was utilized for administration, storage, and as a safe haven from air raids.

It alleged the armament exhibition was staged and that there were thousands of similar motorcycles in Gaza.

According to the government, more than 11,000 people have been killed in Israel’s operations against Hamas since the group killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7 and kidnapped about 240 people.