Israel again raids largest Gaza hospital, saying militants regrouped there

by Lauren Sforza - 03/18/24 11:02 AM ET

Palestinian residents leave a street with a few items after the Israeli army forces besiege the Al-Shifa hospital with tanks and heavy gunfire in Gaza City. — Dawoud Abo Alkas, Anadolu via Getty Images
File – Palestinian residents leave the area with a few items after Israeli army forces besiege the Al-Shifa hospital with tanks and heavy gunfire in Gaza City, Gaza, on March 18, 2024.

The Israeli military raided the largest hospital in Gaza again on Monday, claiming Hamas militants have regrouped there.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military was launching a “high precision operation in limited areas” of Shifa Hospital on Monday. He said Hamas militants were using the hospital to “command attacks against Israel” and described the military’s operation as a “global imperative.”

“We seek no harm to the civilians that Hamas is hiding behind, which is why we will conduct this operation with caution and care while ensuring that the hospital continues its important functions,” he said in a video message.

The Gaza Health Ministry said about 30,000 people are sheltering at the hospital, including patients, staff and those who fled their homes to seek safety, The Associated Press reported. The Israeli military said later on Monday that it killed Faiq Mabhouh, who it said was the head of the operations directorate of Hamas’s internal security.

“Mabhouh was hiding in a compound at the Shifa hospital, from which he operated and advanced terrorist activity,” the Israeli military wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The raid on the largest hospital on Gaza comes as a United Nations food agency warned of “imminent” famine in northern Gaza. More than a million civilians have been displaced due to the war while the Gaza Health Ministry has reported that at least 31,645 Palestinians have been killed.

Israel raided the hospital in November, saying it was a major base of operations for Hamas. Israel said at the time that it uncovered weapons and military capabilities inside of Gaza’s largest hospital.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the militants launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,100 people and resulted in about 240 being captured as hostages. Humanitarian organizations and the U.S. have expressed concerns over Israel’s operations in Gaza, citing the lack of humanitarian aid in the region.

Tags Gaza Israel Shifa Hospital