A raid on the Shifa Hospital uncovered military equipment, according to the army. Hamas denies the allegations. Meanwhile, one of the hostages in the Gaza Strip has reportedly given birth.
Israeli soldiers have discovered weapons, intelligence materials, and Hamas uniforms at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on Wednesday. He added: "These findings clearly prove that the hospital was being used for terrorism, in complete violation of international law."
The army also confiscated laptops, according to its own statement. These contained pictures of hostages, spokesman Jonathan Conricus, responsible for foreign press relations, told BBC journalists on Thursday. The pictures were taken after the kidnapping on October 7.
Regarding the weapons finds, Conricus said, according to the online newspaper "Times of Israel": "These weapons have no place in a hospital." And they are probably just the tip of the iceberg.
An airstrike hit the house of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in exile in Qatar. According to the army, the building served as a meeting place for terrorists planning attacks on Israel. The ground exercise resulted in renewed clashes with terrorists, killing three soldiers and bringing the death toll since the start of the operation to 50.
US government: Headquarters in hospital opposes martial law
US National Security Advisor John Kirby reiterated that the terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were using the Shifa Hospital and other health centers in Gaza for military operations. He added that hostages were being held in such facilities. "It violates the laws of war to establish a headquarters in a hospital," Kirby stated.
The Hamas health ministry in Gaza denied the findings. Israeli troops "found neither equipment nor weapons in the hospital," the ministry stated.
Sara Netanyahu: A hostage has given birth to a child
Diplomatic efforts to free the more than 200 hostages continue. Now, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister, Sara Netanyahu, has also become involved. She wrote a letter to the First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, informing her that a hostage had given birth while in captivity.
“You, like me, can imagine what is going through that young mother’s mind as she is held captive with her newborn by these murderers,” the Times of Israel quoted from the letter. “We must call for her and all other hostages to be released immediately.” According to media reports, the young mother is a foreign worker. (Israelnetz)
