Israeli soldiers evacuate, burn hospital used as a 'Hamas terrorist stronghold'
Israeli soldiers evacuated patients and staff from a hospital in northern Gaza and set part of the facility on fire on Friday, saying it had served as a "Hamas terrorist stronghold" throughout the war.
The Israeli military said in a statement the evacuation was carried out on Friday afternoon as part of an operation in the area of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
The Israel Defense Forces troops "facilitated the secure evacuation of civilians, patients and medical personnel" before beginning the operation.
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"We will continue to make extensive efforts for patients to continue receiving care in other hospitals by facilitating the evacuation of patients from the Kamal Adwan Hospital, the ongoing transfer of supplies, food, and fuel to the area, and the restoration of operations of hospitals in the area, while maintaining ongoing communication with hospital officials," the statement reads.
Since its most recent "targeted operation" in the area in October 2024, the IDF said the hospital "has once again become a key stronghold for terrorist organizations and continues to be used as a hideout for terrorist operatives" despite "repeated calls by the IDF to refrain from exploiting the hospital for military activities."
The Israeli military said only a single building was ignited, but Gaza Health Ministry representatives claim multiple areas in the hospital, including critical departments, were burned after hospital workers and patients were escorted out by force, according to The Associated Press.
The IDF contends the evacuation followed "prior intelligence regarding the presence of terrorist infrastructure and operatives."
Days before the operation, an Israeli official said patients would be relocated to a nearby Indonesian hospital that had been evacuated by the military Tuesday.
In November 2023, the Israeli forces said they killed five terrorists in a raid and evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza City's largest hospital, which IDF claimed Hamas was using for military purposes. Israel said its forces informed Gaza authorities the previous day to cease military operations, which did not occur.
A previous video released by the Israel Defense Forces from an interrogation showed Hamas terrorists captured by Israeli soldiers admitting to taking refuge in hospitals and using ambulances for "anything important," including transporting commanders.
One terrorist pointed to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a place where militants hide in the basement. In response to the Israeli interrogator's question about the identities of the senior Hamas leaders who were hiding in the hospital, the terrorist named Yahya Sinwar, a Hamas leader and the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel, with the aim of advancing its assault up to the border of the West Bank, according to The Washington Post.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari posted audio of an intercepted phone call last year, in which a Gazan resident and a Hamas member discussed using ambulances for militant movements, leading Hagari to remark that the group "exploits ambulances, hospitals, clinics, mosques and schools for terrorist purposes."
Also, troops on the ground reported discoveries of hidden networks last year. According to statements issued by the IDF, soldiers from the 933rd Nahal Infantry Brigade stormed an area controlled by Hamas after an extended firefight. In the aftermath, they said they confiscated weapons, uncovered documents detailing operational plans, and found tunnel entrances near structures devoted to childcare.
The IDF has long alleged that Hamas burrows beneath civilian and commercial sites to create covert transit routes.
Meanwhile, overnight Friday, missile sirens again disrupted life in several areas of Israel, as military sources confirmed intercepting a projectile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Israeli warplanes had earlier targeted infrastructure within Yemen, and Houthi fighters vowed to continue strikes near a critical waterway "until Israel agrees to a ceasefire."
According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has taken over 45,400 lives, a figure that includes combatants and civilians.
The conflict escalated following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which caused around 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, on Israeli soil. Hamas abducted around 240 people, including foreign nationals, with nearly 100 hostages still believed to be held.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza to secure the release of the hostages and eliminate Hamas, a United States-designated terror organization that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.
