LIVE | Israel military shows ‘Hamas weapons’ at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital; no sign of tunnels
Two and a half weeks after sending tanks and ground troops into northern Gaza, Israeli forces searched Shifa Hospital on Wednesday where they claim Hamas militants operate.
The Israeli military displayed what it says are Hamas weapons and military equipment it uncovered in Shifa Hospital. But so far, its search showed no signs of tunnels or a sophisticated command centre that it has said Hamas maintains on the grounds of the hospital.
Hamas and Gaza health officials deny militants operate in Shifa.
Mohammed Zaqout, the director of hospitals in Gaza, said Israeli tanks were inside the medical compound and that soldiers had entered buildings, including the emergency and surgery departments, which house intensive care units.
More than 11,200 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people have been reported missing.
(With AP inputs)Live Updates
- 16 Nov 2023 4:11 AM GMT
Israel releases video of weapons it says were found in Shifa Hospital
The Israeli military displayed what it says are Hamas weapons and military equipment it uncovered in Gaza's Shifa Hospital.
But so far, its search showed no signs of tunnels or a sophisticated command centre that it has said Hamas maintains on the grounds of the hospital. Hamas and Gaza health officials deny militants operate in Shifa.
The army early Wednesday raided the hospital, Gaza's largest. After a daylong search, the army released a video showing several AK-47 automatic rifles, ammunition, grenades, protective vests and other equipment used by Hamas. It said many of the items were in duffel bags in the hospital's MRI department.
“These weapons have absolutely no business being inside a hospital,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said in the military's video.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the Israeli claims that the weapons were found inside the hospital. (AP) - 16 Nov 2023 4:11 AM GMT
US didn’t know about Israel raid on Shifa Hospital beforehand: White House
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday that the United States did not sign off on Israel's raid on Shifa hospital.
Kirby, responding to questions about the timing of the operation and his statement that the U.S. knows Hamas militants shelter in hospitals, said the United States doesn't expect advance notice from Israel before its military operations.
“We did not give an OK to their military operations around the hospital,” Kirby said, speaking to reporters from San Francisco, where President Joe Biden was preparing to meet with China's leader on Wednesday.“We don't expect the Israelis to inform us.” Kirby suggested the timing of his announcement about U.S. intelligence findings that Hamas uses hospitals for command and control and for shelter following the Israeli military operation was a coincidence. He said his delivery of some “downgraded” intelligence information “had nothing to do with operational timing.”He said “it is a violation of the law of war to headquarter yourself in a hospital” and that what Hamas is doing in that regard should not be forgotten. (AP)
