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Israeli troops entered Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the
early hours of Monday morning and have been combing through the
sprawling complex, which the military says is connected to a
tunnel network used as a base for Hamas and other Palestinian
fighters.
"Thus far, the forces eliminated more than 170 terrorists in the
area of the hospital, questioned over 800 suspects, and located
numerous weapons and terror infrastructure," the military said.
Al Shifa, the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital before the war, is
now one of the few healthcare facilities even partially
operational in the north of the territory, and had also been
housing displaced civilians.
More than 350 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have so far been
detained at the hospital, the largest number captured at the
same time since the war began in October, the military said on
Thursday.
Hamas and medical staff deny that the hospital is used for
military purposes or to shelter fighters.
In recent days, Hamas spokespeople have said that the dead
announced in previous Israeli statements were not fighters but
patients and displaced people and have accused Israel of war
crimes.
The Israeli military, which has lost two soldiers in combat at
the hospital, says it is preventing harm to civilians, patients
and medical staff there.
Reuters has been unable to access the hospital and verify either
account.
Israel faced heavy criticism last November when troops first
raided the hospital. The troops uncovered tunnels there, which
they said had been used as command and control centers by Hamas.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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