WASHINGTON – The United States is “confident” that Palestinian terrorist groups used Gaza’s largest hospital to hold “at least a few” hostages captured during their bloody Oct. 7 attack and to house command infrastructure, according to an assessment of US intelligence declassified on Tuesday and shared by a US official. found official.
The assessment offers the strongest U.S. support for Israeli claims about the Shifa hospital complex, which was stormed by Israeli forces in November in an operation denounced by global humanitarian organizations and some members of President Biden’s party.
However, the published information does not fully support some of Israel’s most important allegations that the hospital served as a central node for the activities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The US official shared the assessment on condition of anonymity.
The Shifa complex was attacked by Israeli forces in November and tunnels were discovered. AP
“The US intelligence community trusts your judgment on this matter and has independently corroborated information regarding the use of the hospital complex by HAMAS and PIJ for a variety of purposes related to their campaign against Israel,” it states. the evaluation.
It goes on to say that it believes the groups “used the al-Shifa hospital complex and the sites beneath it to house command infrastructure, exercise certain command and control activities, store some weapons, and hold at least some hostages.”
The United States believes that Hamas members were evacuated days before Israel attacked the compound on Nov. 15 and that they destroyed sensitive documents and electronic devices before Israeli troops entered the facility.
Hospitals enjoy special protected status under international laws of war. But they can lose that status if they are used for military purposes. REUTERS
US officials had previously pointed to classified information, obtained independently from the Israelis, to offer support for Israel’s raid.
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“I can confirm to you that we have information that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including Al-Shifa, and tunnels beneath them to hide and support their military operations and hold hostages,” Homeland Security said. council spokesman John Kirby told reporters a day before Israel was admitted to the hospital.
Gaza hospitals have played a central role in conflicting narratives around the war, which the Hamas-led Health Ministry says has killed 22,100 people, although it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Hospitals enjoy special protected status under international laws of war.
But they can lose that status if they are used for military purposes.
Ahead of the hospital attack, the Israeli military revealed a detailed 3D model of Gaza’s Shifa Hospital showing a series of underground facilities that it said were part of an elaborate Hamas command and control center under the largest health care facility. large of the territory.
The Israeli military has not yet revealed any infrastructure as extensive and developed as the alleged center.
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