IDF: Hamas operations center discovered beneath hospitaL
Israel claims it has uncovered a Hamas operations center beneath the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city, and evidence suggesting that hostages taken in the 7 October attacks were held there.
Also found inside the hospital, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, was a motorcycle it believes Hamas used during its assault, and a tunnel from the hospital linking it with a house used by Hamas leaders.
Lt Col Peter Lerner has just been on CNN explaining what he says the IDF found:
The hospital has most definitely been used for terrorist activities. This is a hospital that we’ve been evacuating over the last few days . The civilians and the terrorists escaped from the hospital… and hostages taken with the terrorists out of the hospital premises.
We found a motorcycle in the hospital itself. The motorcycle has a bullet hole in its fuel tank, that looks like one of those motorcycles we’ve seen in all of those videos coming out of the 7th of October.
We also found a tunnel that appears to connect a senior terrorist house [of] a commander… to the hospital, so this is a merciless network putting the people of Gaza at risk. This is what we’ve been saying throughout the last 38 days.He said hairbands, diapers and baby bottles found under the hospital suggest that children and babies were among the hostages who may have been held there.
CNN reports that “a US official with knowledge of American intelligence” has confirmed the discovery. According to the network, the official confirms fuel intended for the hospital is used by Hamas, and that Hamas fighters “regularly cluster in and around Gaza’s largest hospital”.
Earlier Monday, Joe Biden said the hospital, where hundreds of patients are trapped, “must be protected” and called for “less intrusive action” by Israeli forces.
Is this Hamas HQ then? Or just an operations centre?
No hostages found 