Following intelligence reports that a Hamas official was in the area, the Israeli military launched a "precise operation" on Gaza’s Shifa Hospital in the early hours of Monday. The undertaking was reported to have lasted for over 12 hours.
As a result of the incursion, officials revealed that the Hamas internal security head, Faiq Mabhouh, was eliminated in the fighting as well as 20 additional terrorists. Soldiers were also reported to have confiscated a supply of weapons and cash after securing the building.
The IDF announced that one of their soldiers from the Nahal Brigade was killed in the altercation.
Authorities in Jerusalem reported that after their forces surrounded the complex, they received small-arms fire “from within the hospital compound.” The location of the embedded militants comes as Israel has long criticized the medical center's administration for allowing the facility to be used as a command headquarters by Hamas operatives.
In November, the IDF discovered a sophisticated secret bunker system under the institution’s grounds. The subterranean structure was complete with utilities, internet connections, climate control, weapons storage, and living quarters. It is forbidden under international law to use medical buildings for actions that are related to military purposes.
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