19-3-2024 (GAZA CITY) Tensions in the embattled Gaza Strip escalated to alarming heights in the early hours of Monday as Israeli troops conducted a massive raid on the compound of Al Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest medical facility. The audacious military operation, which Israeli authorities claimed targeted Hamas militants sheltering within the hospital premises, triggered a fierce blaze and inflicted multiple casualties, according to Palestinian health officials.
In a statement defending the controversial strike, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari asserted that the operation was a “precise” response to intelligence indicating Hamas leaders had once again turned the hospital into a base. “We apprehended more than 200 terrorist suspects that are now being questioned. We eliminated more than 20 terrorists inside the hospital compound,” Hagari proclaimed, adding that Israeli forces encountered hostile fire upon entering the complex.
The Israeli military released footage purporting to show soldiers engaged in intense gunfights within the hospital grounds, although these visuals could not be independently verified by Reuters. Hagari acknowledged the loss of one Israeli soldier in the fierce clashes, vowing that Israel “will not allow” Hamas to reestablish its grip on such civilian sites.
Footage of the fighting in the al shifah hospital today.
The IDF and the Shin Bet have so far eliminated about 20 terrorists and over 100 terrorists have been arrested and are currently under investigation.pic.twitter.com/ZmxsBC2iPH
— Effy (@effysony) March 19, 2024
However, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza painted a drastically different picture, decrying the Israeli assault as a heinous crime that endangered countless innocent lives. They reported a raging fire at the entrance of the hospital complex, causing suffocation among the displaced women and children sheltering within. Communication lines were severed, trapping people inside surgical and emergency units as the inferno raged unabated.
“There are casualties, including deaths and injuries, and it’s impossible to rescue anyone due to the intensity of the fire and targeting of anyone approaching the windows,” the ministry’s grim statement read.
Residents in the vicinity corroborated accounts of a terrifying night punctuated by thunderous explosions, indiscriminate gunfire, and the ominous rumble of tanks advancing towards Al Shifa. “Suddenly, we started to hear sounds of explosions, several bombings, and soon tanks started to roll… it looked as if it was a re-invasion of the Gaza City,” recounted Mohammad Ali, a 32-year-old father sheltering a kilometer from the hospital.
In a chilling development, the Israeli military dropped leaflets around the hospital, warning those displaced in Al Shifa and its surroundings that they were in a “dangerous combat zone.” The statement ordered them to evacuate towards Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza via the coastal road.
Footage circulated on social media appeared to capture the harrowing scene of an Israeli tank obstructing the main gate of Al Shifa, compounding fears of entrapment for those within. The military, however, maintained that troops were instructed to exercise caution and avoid harming patients, civilians, medical staff, and equipment.
The audacious hospital raid was not an isolated event, as Israeli forces also reportedly stormed a school sheltering displaced families nearby, detaining several men in a display of escalating aggression.
