There are allegations that Hamas used the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza for military purposes during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. Izzat al-Risheq, a Hamas official, denied that the group used the hospital as a shield for its underground military structures, saying there was no truth to the claims.[1][2]

Israel has been accused of waging a propaganda war to detract from accusations that its actions at al-Shifa constitute violations of international law, and medical staff at al-Shifa have accused Israel of directly causing the deaths of civilians being treated at al-Shifa, including prematurely born babies.[3] The head of the World Health Organization called the Israeli raid on the hospital "totally unacceptable".[4]

Following the end of the Al-Shifa Hospital siege, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for an independent investigation, stating "This is precisely where you need an independent international investigation, because we have different narratives, you cannot use ... hospitals, for any military purposes. But you also cannot attack a hospital in the absence of clear evidence."[5] International law prohibits the targeting of hospitals unless used for a military purpose that is "harmful to the enemy", as well as the use of human shields for combatants; both constitute war crimes.[6]

History

In 1983, the Israelis built "a secure underground operating room and tunnel network" beneath Building 2 of the hospital.[7] During a renovation in the 1990s a large basement was added, which the IDF later said was appropriated by Hamas and used to store weapons.[8][9][10][11] According to Israeli officials, Hamas subsequently dug out the original basement, later adding new floors and connecting it as a hub within their existing tunnel system.[12][13]

According to former Israeli PM Ehud Barak in an interview with CNN, the tunnels were built in the 1980s by Israel as part of the hospital's construction.[14][15] On 20 November 2023, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, referring to Israeli built bunkers from decades ago, told CNN "It’s already [been] known for many years that they [Hamas] have the bunkers that originally [were] built by Israeli constructors underneath Shifa [which] were used as a command post of Hamas. And, a kind of junction of several tunnels are part of this system."[15]

Background

In late October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement about Hamas activities at al-Shifa Hospital, stating "The Hamas terrorist organization has continued operating below Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, using the thousands of patients, doctors and staff in the building to shield its underground headquarters"[16]

Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the IDF said that they had captured and interrogated two Nukhba Force members. According to the IDF, Hamas has been using medical facilities in the Gaza Strip, especially Al-Shifa hospital, to shield themselves from Israeli strikes and to store weapons and ammunition.[17] The Israeli internal security service Shin Bet also released a video they said was an interrogation of a Nukhba Force member in which a handcuffed man said there is an extensive underground complex operated by Hamas beneath the hospital.[18] The IDF Spokesperson's Unit has accused Hamas of using the hospital as cover, citing videos and intelligence.[19][20] According to The Associated Press, the IDF has not provided photos or video evidence,[21] though photos purporting to show secret entrances from the hospital to the compound were provided to The New York Times, who said "their authenticity could not be independently verified."[22] Hamas rejected the accusation wholesale, saying that Israel was attempting to justify an attack on the hospital and saying the Israeli accusations "no basis in truth" and that Israel had fabricated evidence.[23][24][25][26] American intelligence who spoke to The New York Times in 2023 said that they were confident Hamas has used tunnels under Al Shifa "for command and control areas as well as for weapons storage."[22]

On 14 November 2023, the U.S. National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, said that the United States had its own intelligence sources indicating that Al Shifa hospital was being used by Hamas to run military operations and store weapons, which constitutes a war crime.[27] The intelligence included communication intercepts of Hamas fighters inside the hospital complex.[28]

Al-Shifa staff had appealed to the international community to send international delegations to the hospital to see that no military actions were taking place in the hospital.[18][29][30]

The IDF released photos showing "Military uniforms, 11 guns, three military vests, one with a Hamas logo, nine grenades, two Qurans, a string of prayer beads, a box of dates." Former US State Department legal advisor Brian Finucane, said "These arms by themselves hardly seem to justify the military fixation on al-Shifa, even setting the law aside".[31]

Following the release of the Israeli photos, Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara was skeptical, since Hamas left the guns and nothing else.[32] Bishara added that Israel doesn't have any evidence that justifies "the genocide that they've carried out against Gaza and the bombings of the hospitals and other facilities and for the collective punishments."[32]

Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst, stated to Al Jazeera, "Israeli forces have invaded Shifa Hospital and been inside it for 12 full hours – having refused any independent party to accompany them – and now we're supposed to believe that there were Hamas militants in there being pursued by the Israeli military but they somehow left their weapons behind?"[33]

Israeli forces continued to search the facility for a second day, unearthing what they described as a tunnel entrance on the perimeter of the hospital complex, although they have yet to enter due to fear of booby traps and it may be days before they do so. New York Times journalists visited the site and verified that a concrete shaft descending into the earth existed, and that electrical wiring and a ladder was visible, although they were not able to determine how deep the shaft was or where it lead.[34] The military said the search would take time.[35][36] Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill stated that the "Israelis have a multidecade track record of lying, of promoting false information, releasing doctored videos". He then claimed regarding the evidence that he had seen more guns in the homes of Americans than in this purported Hamas Pentagon under al-Shifa Hospital.[37] Netanyahu stated in an interview with CBS that the Israeli government had "strong indications” that hostages were in al-Shifa, which was one of the reasons they entered the hospital, adding that "I think the less I say about it, the better."[38] On 16 November, the IDF reported that the body of Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old woman who was captured from Be’eri kibbutz, had been located in a structure nearby to the hospital.[39][40] On 17 November, the IDF had discovered the body of 19-year-old Cpl Noa Marciano in a building next to the hospital.[41]

Jeremy Bowen, BBC News' international editor, noted that there is no independent scrutiny inside the hospital, since journalists are working under the aegis of the Israeli military.[42] He also stated that the evidence that was produced wasn't convincing enough to prove that "this was a nerve centre for the Hamas operation".[42] On 17 November 2023, journalists for The Independent claimed that "Israel has not presented evidence that shows a large-scale headquarters under the hospital".[43] CNN analysis suggested Israel had rearranged the weaponry before allowing press into the hospital.[44]

On 19 November the IDF released footage down the tunnel shaft of what it claimed to be a Hamas tunnel network. The footage showed a tunnel shaft, which contains a winding staircase approximately three meters deep and it continues for seven meters down until it reaches part of a tunnel network. The tunnel continues for five meters before turning right and continuing for another 50 meters. At the end, there is a blast door and what the IDF says is a gunhole.[45] Mounir El Barsh, the Gaza health ministry director, stated the Israeli tunnel statement was a "pure lie" and that the IDF had already been on the al-Shifa complex for eight days.[46] Later that day, the IDF also published surveillance footage taken by the hospital's cameras, showing a group of men forcibly bringing two hostages into the hospital. The hostages were identified as two foreign hostages captured during the 7 October attack. Hamas didn't respond, but in the past they claimed to have taken hostages to hospitals for treatment.[47][48][49]

On the same day, CNN visited the tunnel shaft and confirmed that a tunnel existed near the hospital, describing a substantial shaft descending 10 metres into earth that included a central column that looked like a hub for a spiral staircase; according to a video shown by the IDF, deeper in the shaft such a spiral staircase did exist. Both Hamas and health officials had denied that a tunnel network existed beneath the hospital.[50]

On 23 November 2023, Israeli confirmed they detained the hospital's director Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya as he evacuated patients to question the director about evidence that al-Shifa "served as a Hamas command and control centre", which he and Hamas have denied.[51]

Accusations of Israeli propaganda campaign

Before and after the siege, the Israeli government engaged in a public relations campaign aimed at justifying its siege and takeover of the hospital. On 11 November, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted a video purportedly of a nurse at al-Shifa in which she backs up Israeli claims of Hamas usage of the hospital. The Nation described the campaign as propaganda, and stated that the video was widely mocked, with many Arabs questioning its authenticity, and the ministry deleting the tweet in a day.[52] The Daily Beast, remarking on the video, said "Everything about it smacked of high school theater—from the botched accent that sounded like it was straight out of an Israeli soap opera to the perfectly scripted IDF talking points rolling off her tongue."[53] France 24 found the video to likely be staged.[54]

Some experts have said that questionable evidence such as claiming an Arabic calendar was a Hamas shift schedule, and displaying curtains as evidence that hostage videos were filmed has weakened Israel's credibility, with H. A. Hellyer stating “The irony is they might find something and nobody is going to believe them, at this point their credibility is shot." Adding "We don’t take seriously what a terror group says, but we do take seriously what an army says, especially one that’s an ally of ours,” he said. “So we naturally hold it to a higher standard.”[55] Muhammad Shehada, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor Chief of Programmes and Communications, said of the requirements that Israel imposed on media outlets on their supervised tours of al-Shifa that the outlets have essentially agreed to broadcast propaganda, saying of the outlets "You are not allowed to speak to any Palestinian or Gazan to challenge what the IDF is spoon-feeding you. You are not allowed to go beyond the tour that the IDF has staged, so you stick to what the IDF wants to show you and where they take you. And you have to review the material with them before you publish, so that the result of that is not journalism. It’s propaganda."[56]

Jeremy Scahill, in an article published on 21 November 2023 by The Intercept, also referred to Israel's attempts to justify its siege of the hospital as propaganda. Noting that, before the siege, Israel had published animations purportedly depicting a sophisticated underground Hamas command and control center, Scahill opined that the evidence offered by the IDF after taking control of the hospital was unimpressive. Scahill observed that it was not a secret that there existed tunnels and underground rooms at the Al-Shifa Hospital complex–indeed, Israel assisted in their construction and hired Hamas militants as guards to protect the contractors who worked on the underground facilities in the 1980s. Scahill said that remarkable evidence should be required of Israel and its supporters to demonstrate their remarkable claims and, failing that, they should be held accountable for the attacks on the hospital, which disproportionately affected wounded and sick civilians. On the other hand, Scahill wrote that Hamas should also be held accountable if it is shown that they did in fact use the hospital as a command and control center.[3] The head of the World Health Organization called the Israeli raid on the hospital "totally unacceptable".[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Beaumont, Peter (30 October 2023). "What is a human shield and how has Hamas been accused of using them?". The Guardian.
  2. ↑ "Hamas rejects Israeli claim over installations under al-Shifa hospital". Al Jazeera.
  3. 1 2 Scahill, Jeremy (November 21, 2023). "Al-Shifa Hospital, Hamas's Tunnels, and Israeli Propaganda". The Intercept. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Sinmaz, Emine; Burke, Jason (November 15, 2023). "Israeli soldiers raid al-Shifa hospital in escalation of Gaza offensive". the Guardian. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ Shortell, Andrew Carey, David (17 November 2023). "UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for independent investigation into Al-Shifa hospitals claims". CNN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Taub, Amanda (16 November 2023). "How International Law Views Military Action at a Hospital" – via NYTimes.com.
  7. ↑ Jeremy Scahill (21 November 2023). "Al-Shifa Hospital, Hamas's Tunnels, and Israeli Propaganda". The Intercept.
  8. ↑ אלחייני, צבי (7 November 2023). הצצה לבי"ח שיפא בעזה שבנו אדריכלים ישראלים. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Beaumont, Peter (30 October 2023). "What is a human shield and how has Hamas been accused of using them?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Hamas's main operations base is under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, says IDF". The Times of Israel.
  11. ↑ הצצה נדירה: כך תיכננו ובנו אדריכלים ישראלים את בית החולים שיפא בעזה. xnet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  12. ↑ Rosenberg, Matthew; Bergman, Ronen; Boxerman, Aaron; Yee, Vivian (2023-11-12). "Israeli Forces Near a Struggling Hospital They Say Covers a Hamas Complex". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  13. ↑ "Inside the tunnels beneath Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital". Yahoo News. 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  14. ↑ "IDF claims tunnels prove command room under Gaza hospital". The Hill.
  15. 1 2 Subramaniam, Tara; Upright, Ed; Hayes, Mike; Chowdhury, Maureen; Vera, Amir (20 November 2023). "Hamas is using bunkers built by Israel under Al-Shifa Hospital, former Israeli prime minister says". CNN.
  16. ↑ "Israel's hunt for Hamas puts Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital under siege". WAPO. 10 November 2023.
  17. ↑ Zitun, Yoav (28 October 2023). "Detained terrorists admit Hamas using hospitals to shield themselves". Ynetnews. Ynet News. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  18. 1 2 Abu Azzoum, Tareq. "Israeli military preparing to storm al-Shifa Hospital". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "דובר צה"ל חושף: כך חמאס משתמש בביה"ח שיפאא | ישראל היום". Israel Hayom. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  20. ↑ "IDF shares proof of Hamas terror base built under main Gaza hospital". The Jerusalem Post. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "Live updates | Fighting outside Gaza's largest hospital prompts thousands to flee". AP News. 13 November 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Israeli Troops Near Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital, Which Is Struggling to Operate". The New York Times. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  23. ↑ Yee, Vivian (28 October 2023). "Israel Says Al Shifa Hospital Conceals Hamas Underground Command Centers". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "Hamas rejects Israeli claim over installations under al-Shifa hospital". Al Jazeera. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  25. ↑ "رداً على ادعاءات إسرائيل.. حماس تنفي استخدام مستشفى الشفاء لأغراض عسكرية". TRT (in Arabic). 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  26. ↑ "Hamas rejects Israeli claim over installations under al-Shifa hospital". Al Jazeera. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  27. ↑ Hunnicutt, Trevor (14 November 2023). "White House says it has evidence Hamas using Al Shifa hospital to run military actions". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
  28. ↑ "U.S. Relied on Intercepts in Assessing Hamas's Operations at Gaza Hospital". The Wall Street Journal. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  29. ↑ Regan, Helen; Salman, Abeer; Shortell, David (15 November 2023). "Israeli troops and tanks raid Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital". CNN. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  30. ↑ "BBC Apologizes Over Israel-Hamas War Misreporting After Anchor Falsely Claimed IDF 'Targeted' Medical Staff". Variety.
  31. ↑ Loveluck, Louisa; Kelly, Meg (15 November 2023). "How Israel built its case to raid Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  32. 1 2 "Israeli 'evidence' at al-Shifa does not justify collective punishment: AJ analyst". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  33. ↑ "Analyst likens Israel's al-Shifa 'evidence' to US claims about WMDs in Iraq". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  34. ↑ Pan, Philip P.; Kingsley, Patrick (17 November 2023). "Israel-Hamas War: Israeli Army Takes Journalists on Controlled Visit to Gaza Hospital". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  35. ↑ Kingsley, Patrick (16 November 2023). "Israel-Hamas War: Israeli Forces Comb Gaza Hospital for 2nd Day" – via NYTimes.com.
  36. ↑ "Israel signals wider offensive in Gaza's south, where hundreds of thousands have fled". AP News. 16 November 2023.
  37. ↑ "Biden staking 'credibility' on Israeli intelligence". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  38. ↑ "Israeli army claims to have found a tunnel, weapons in al-Shifa". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  39. ↑ Sinmaz, Emine (16 November 2023). "Israel says body of hostage recovered near al-Shifa hospital". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  40. ↑ Reporter, Rachel Dobkin Weekend (16 November 2023). "Who was Yehudit Weiss? Israeli hostage found dead near Al-Shifa Hospital". Newsweek. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  41. ↑ "Israel finds second hostage body near Al-Shifa hospital". 17 November 2023 – via www.bbc.com.
  42. 1 2 Bowen, Jeremy (17 November 2023). "Bowen: Ceasefire demands will grow without proof of Hamas HQ at Al-Shifa". BBC.
  43. ↑ "Biden defends Israeli hospital raid in search for Hamas HQ". The Independent. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  44. ↑ Polglase, Katie; Mezzofiore, Gianluca. "CNN analysis: Video suggests IDF might have rearranged weaponry at Al-Shifa prior to news crew visits". CNN. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  45. ↑ "New IDF footage reveals part of Hamas's tunnel network under Shifa Hospital in Gaza". Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  46. ↑ Williams, Dan. "Israel says soldier executed, foreign hostages held at Gaza's Shifa hospital". Reuters. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  47. ↑ Williams, Dan (2023-11-20). "Israel says soldier executed, foreign hostages held at Gaza's Shifa hospital". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  48. ↑ "Hamas terrorists took hostages into Gaza hospital, Shifa cameras prove". Jerusalem Post. 19 November 2023.
  49. ↑ "Surveillance footage shows Hamas bringing hostages into Shifa Hospital on Oct. 7". Times of Israel. 19 November 2023.
  50. ↑ Liebermann, Oren (20 November 2023). "CNN visited the exposed tunnel shaft near Al-Shifa hospital. Here's what we saw". CNN. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  51. ↑ Gritten, David (2023-11-23). "Israeli forces detain director of Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital". BBC. Archived from the original on 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  52. ↑ "Israel's Ludicrous Propaganda Wins Over the Only Audience That Counts". The Nation. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  53. ↑ Jones, Marc Owen (November 15, 2023). "Israel's Comically Bad Disinfo Proves They're Losing the PR War". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  54. ↑ "Video of 'nurse' denouncing Hamas occupation of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital is staged". France 24. November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  55. ↑ "Information missteps have led to questions about Israel's credibility". NBC News. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  56. ↑ "Israel's Raid on Al-Shifa Questioned as IDF Fails to Present Hard Evidence Linking Hamas to Hospital". Democracy Now!. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
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