Israeli Troops Discover Weapons at Gaza Hospital
Israeli troops brought a BBC News team into Gaza's Al Shifa hospital on Wednesday night, revealing evidence of Hamas militants using the facility for military purposes. The forces displayed 15 guns, grenades, military booklets, and a map with entrances and exits to the hospital, according to the CBS News partner network.
"We uncovered a lot of computers and other equipment which could really shed light on the current situation, hopefully regarding hostages as well," said IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus in an interview with the BBC. Lt. Col. Conricus mentioned that the computers contained images of hostages from Israel taken in Gaza after they were kidnapped.
The BBC team, however, was not shown these images and was not allowed to speak with any patients or doctors at the hospital.
"At the end of the day, this is just the tip of the iceberg," added Lt. Col. Conricus, expressing his belief that militants had been present in the facility within the last few days, prior to the IDF launching a ground operation at Al Shifa.
"Hamas aren't here because they saw we were coming. This is probably what they were forced to leave behind. Our assessment is that there's much more," Conricus told the BBC.
The Israeli military also released photos of soldiers standing inside Al Shifa beside boxes marked, in large English writing, "baby food" and "medical supplies." The IDF said incubators with their own power sources were being sent in to help infants who had to be removed from hospital incubators due to a lack of fuel to power generators. It said the battery-powered incubators could be used to help move the babies to a safer location.
The BBC said it was unable to confirm that the transfer of infants out of the hospital had occurred.
Israeli forces were still searching Thursday for tunnels beneath Al Shifa, which they have repeatedly said serve as a Hamas headquarters. The U.S. has backed that assertion, with National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby saying this week that Hamas was believed to be operating a "command and control node" from the hospital.
Israel Warns Gazans to Flee Northern Areas
Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza have been forced to flee from the north to the southern region after receiving warnings that the northern areas will no longer be safe from Israeli military operations. This new development suggests that Israel may be planning to expand its military activities into the crowded areas where internally displaced people have sought refuge.
Leaflets were dropped east of the southern town of Khan Younis, instructing civilians to evacuate and cautioning that anyone near militants or their positions would be risking their lives.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not yet commented on the leaflets or provided information on where the civilians in the designated areas should go.
Palestinian officials in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, along with several U.N. officials, have repeatedly stated that no part of the densely-populated coastal region is safe amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has announced that Israel's ground operation in Gaza will eventually encompass both the north and south, promising to target Hamas wherever they are.
