Israeli Troops Withdraw From Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital After Two-Week Siege
Israeli military forces on Monday said they have withdrawn from the Al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza City following a two-week siege.
Israel Defense Forces said the IDF and ISA have completed operational activity in the area and had exited the area of the hospital.
It also said its troops killed terrorists and located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital.
“IDF and ISA troops have completed precise operational activity in the area of the Shifa Hospital and exited the area of the hospital,” the Israel Defense Forces said, using an acronym for Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet.
“The troops killed terrorists in close-quarters encounters, located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, and medical teams.”
According to CNN, a Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson, on the scene said that the hospital, which was the enclave's largest medical facility, had been "completely destroyed and burned down."
“Injured and dead bodies fill the hospital grounds,” Captain Mahmoud Bassal said on Monday.
“There are bodies buried in the hospital yards.”
More than 30 wounded people were transported from Al-Shifa to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital east of Gaza City, Bassal said.
Images from the area showed widespread destruction with charred and pockmarked buildings inside the complex.
Israel's military first raided Al-Shifa in November. Its second military operation there came despite the IDF in January saying it had completed dismantling Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza.
The IDF has said civilians, patients, and medical teams were evacuated during the operation — though Palestinians inside and around Al-Shifa reported civilian casualties and arrests.
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