Al-Shifa Hospital siege

Al-Shifa Hospital siege[2][3]
Part of the siege of Gaza City

The siege depicted on a map
Date
  • 11–24 November 2023 (1 week and 6 days)[4]
  • 18 March 2024 – 1 April 2024 (2 weeks)
Location
Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza City
31°31′27.5″N 34°26′34″E / 31.524306°N 34.44278°E / 31.524306; 34.44278
Result
  • IDF raids the hospital on 15 November[5][6]
  • Israel withdraws from Al-Shifa on 24 November[7]
  • Israel raids the hospital again on 18 March 2024
  • Israel withdraws on 1 April after destroying most of the hospital[8]
Belligerents
 Israel

 Hamas [a]
 Palestinian Islamic Jihad [a]

State of Palestine Palestinian Civil Police Force
Commanders and leaders

Israel Yaron Finkelman[9]

Israel Itzik Cohen[10]

Hamas Raad Thabet †[11] (Per IDF)

State of Palestine Faiq al-Mabhouh †[12]
Units involved

 Israel Defense Forces

State of Palestine Palestinian Joint Operations Room

Strength
Unknown 1,000+ militants (Per IDF)[10]
Casualties and losses
2 killed (Per IDF)[17] 200+ militants killed, 500+ captured (Per IDF)[18]
400+ Palestinians killed (per the Gaza Health Ministry)[19]
21 patients killed (per WHO)[20]
409 bodies recovered by the Palestinian Civil Defence[21]

Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, was placed under siege by Israel in mid-November 2023 during the Israel–Hamas war, after saying it had contained a Hamas command and control center beneath it. The incident was followed by a second major raid by Israeli forces in March 2024.

On 11 November, the hospital was completely encircled, cutting it off from the rest of Gaza City. According to Gazan health officials, the hospital contained 1,500 patients, 1,500 medical workers and around 15,000 displaced people who were seeking shelter in the hospital.[22][23] Both Israel and the United States have said that Hamas maintained command centers or command "nodes" below the hospital. Both the hospital's administration and Hamas denied that,[24][25][26] with the former asking the international community to send security experts to verify the Israeli allegations.[27] There were over 100 dead bodies placed in the courtyard and later buried by medical staff in a mass grave due to the siege.[28][29][30][31] On 15 November, Israeli forces said they entered the hospital after killing militants outside, and that they had discovered a Hamas command centre, weaponry, and tactical gear.[32]

After a media tour, The Guardian and CNN reported that the Israeli army had rearranged or doubled weapons for the tour[24][33] and that an Israeli video showing the discoveries had been edited. NBC News said that Israel released several pieces of inaccurate or disputed information, which weakened Israel's credibility.[34] Al Jazeera said that "many experts" accused Israel of fabricating evidence.[35] On 22 November, Israel published video showing multiple tunnels beneath the hospital;[36] The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian reported that this fell short of the original command center claims.[37][38] Israel published surveillance footage taken by the hospital's cameras, appearing to show two hostages being taken into the hospital.[39] The Guardian reported that Hamas had previously publicized taking hostages to receive medical treatment.[40] On 21 December, The Washington Post published analysis concluding that the hospital buildings in question were not actually connected to the tunnels.[41] On 2 January 2024, the United States released newly declassified documents showing that its spy agencies continued to express confidence that the hospital had been used as a command and control centre while providing no visual evidence,[42] and the following day Israel announced that it had dismantled a tunnel beneath the hospital.[43] News reports the next day said that both Israeli and US statements are not considered as conclusive proof of Hamas use of al-Shifa.[44][45]

The raid on the hospital and Israel's limited findings of military infrastructure led to international criticism,[46][47][48][49] including by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk who called for an independent investigation.[50] International law prohibits the targeting of hospitals unless they are being used for a military purpose that is "harmful to the enemy", though the attacking force has to give civilians the chance to evacuate and there are strict rules of proportionality as to how force can be used. The use of hospital staff or patients as human shields is also prohibited.[51] Jeremy Scahill accused Israel of waging a propaganda war to detract from accusations that its actions at al-Shifa constitute violations of international law. Medical staff at al-Shifa have accused Israel of directly causing the deaths of civilians being treated at al-Shifa, including prematurely born babies.[52] The head of the World Health Organization said, "hospitals are not battlegrounds," and that Israel's action was "totally unacceptable."[53] On 18 March 2024, Israeli forces conducted an overnight raid on Al-Shifa hospital following intel that senior Hamas officials had regrouped and were using the hospital "to command attacks".[54][55] After a two week siege that ended on 1 April 2024, the Al-Shifa hospital was mostly destroyed,[56] and hundreds of dead Palestinians were found in and around the hospital, including in mass graves.[57]

  1. ^ Williams, Dan; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (1 April 2024). "Israeli troops exit Gaza's Shifa Hospital, leaving rubble and bodies". Reuters. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ^ Fuller, Thomas; Boxerman, Aaron; Browne, Malachy; Collier, Neil (10 November 2023). "Gaza City Hospitals Are Caught in Deadly Crossfire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023 – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ Vega, Luis de (11 November 2023). "Crisis in Gaza's largest hospital: 'We need to evacuate now, but they shoot everyone who tries to escape'". EL PAÍS English. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Israeli army withdraws from Gaza hospital after truce: Hamas ministry". Agence France-Presse. The Economic Times. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  5. ^ England, Andrew; Chazan, Guy; Seleh, Heba; Srivastava, Mehul; Khaled, Mai (15 November 2023). "Israeli military raids Gaza's largest hospital in climax of siege". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Israeli troops enter Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital in culmination of siege". The Straits Times. 15 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Israeli army withdraws from Gaza hospital after truce: Hamas ministry". The Economic Times. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  8. ^ Knell, Yolande; Seddon, Sean (1 April 2024). "Gaza's al-Shifa hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid". BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b Fabian, Emanuel (24 March 2024). "IDF: Soldier killed amid raid at Gaza's Shifa hospital; 480 terror operatives nabbed". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  10. ^ a b Jeremy Bob, Yonah (1 April 2024). "This is how Israel's 'Navy SEALs' took over al Shifa Hospital". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  11. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (1 April 2024). "Troops raiding Gaza's Shifa hospital kill senior Hamas commander, says IDF". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  12. ^ Lucente, Adam; Bassist, Rina (18 March 2024). "Israel kills Hamas' Faiq al-Mabhouh as US confirms Marwan Issa's death". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Kubovich, Yaniv (1 April 2024). "Israeli Army Says Al-Shifa Hospital Raid in Gaza May Yield Crucial Intel About Israeli Hostages". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b Fabian, Emanuel (24 November 2023). "Before truce, IDF destroys Hamas tunnel under Shifa hospital, completes new deployment". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  15. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (16 November 2023). "IDF says special forces still carrying out 'focused' searches of Shifa hospital". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  16. ^ "As Israeli Withdraws From Raid On Shifa Hospital, Accounts From Military And Witnesses Differ Wildly". Associated Press. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  17. ^ Boxerman, Aaron; Abuhewalia, Iyad (1 April 2024). "Israeli troops pull out of a major Gaza hospital after a two-week battle". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  18. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (1 April 2024). "IDF ends Shifa Hospital raid, says it killed 200 terror operatives, arrested 500 more". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital 'mass graveyard' as Israel troops exit after two-week raid". The New Arab. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  20. ^ Knell, Yolande; Seddon, Sean (1 April 2024). "Gaza's al-Shifa hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid". BBC. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  21. ^ "كمين انتشال جثامين 409 شهداء من "الشفاء" وخان".
  22. ^ "Hospitals have special protection under the rules of war. Why are they in the crosshairs in Gaza?". AP News. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  23. ^ "WHO leads very high-risk joint humanitarian mission to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  24. ^ a b "IDF evidence so far falls well short of al-Shifa hospital being Hamas HQ". The Guardian. 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Israel says Hamas is using Gaza's biggest hospital for cover. Hundreds of people are trapped inside". AP News. 13 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  26. ^ Hunnicutt, Trevor (14 November 2023). "White House says it has evidence Hamas using Al Shifa hospital to run military actions". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
  27. ^ Abu Azzoum, Tareq. "Israeli military preparing to storm al-Shifa Hospital". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (15 November 2023). "Hamas command centre, weapons found at Gaza hospital, Israeli military says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  33. ^ "What we know about what Israel says it has found at Al-Shifa". CNN. 20 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  34. ^ "Information missteps have led to questions about Israel's credibility". NBC News. 18 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  35. ^ "WATCH: Information warfare – Israel accused of fabricating evidence". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  36. ^ "The Hamas tunnels under Shifa Hospital, according to Israel". Reuters. 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  37. ^ "Inside Israel's Campaign to Prove a Gaza Hospital Was a Hamas Command Center". The Wall Street Journal. 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  38. ^ "Israel arrests Gaza hospital director and bombs 300 targets amid truce delay". The Guardian. 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  39. ^ Sabbagh, Dan (20 November 2023). "Israeli army says footage shows foreign hostages inside Gaza's al-Shifa hospital". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  40. ^ "Three more journalists killed in Gaza over weekend, relatives say – as it happened". The Guardian. 19 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  41. ^ Loveluck, Louisa; Hill, Evan; Baran, Jonathan; Ley, Jarrett; Nakashima, Ellen (21 December 2023). "The case of al-Shifa: Investigating the assault on Gaza's largest hospital". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  42. ^ Barnes, Julian E. (2 January 2024). "Hamas Used Gaza Hospital as a Command Center, U.S. Intelligence Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  43. ^ Victor, Daniel (3 January 2024). "Israel says it dismantled a Hamas-built tunnel under a Gaza hospital". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  44. ^ "U.S.'confident' that Hamas used al-Shifa Hospital as command center". WAPO. 3 January 2024. While U.S. officials say the intelligence community has "high confidence" in its assessment of al-Shifa's use by Hamas, they have not publicly released visual or audio evidence. The IDF's claims have also been challenged by a lack of conclusive proof.
  45. ^ Marquardt, Alex; Liebermann, Oren (3 January 2024). "US doubles down on assessment Hamas used Gaza hospital as command hub | CNN Politics". CNN. Neither Israel nor the US have published evidence that fully matches up with the claims
  46. ^ Srivastava, Mehul; Schwartz, Felicia. "Israeli forces advance in Gaza City as Benjamin Netanyahu resists ceasefire calls". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  47. ^ Raine, Andrew (15 November 2023). "Israel launches military operation inside Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  48. ^ "Biden Backs Israel's Hospital Raid, Hopeful on Hostage Release". Bloomberg. 16 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  49. ^ Wintour, Patrick (15 November 2023). "Israel faces wave of international condemnation over hospital raid". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  50. ^ Carey, Andrew; Shortell, David (17 November 2023). "UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for independent investigation into Al-Shifa hospitals claims". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  51. ^ Taub, Amanda (16 November 2023). "How International Law Views Military Action at a Hospital". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023 – via NYTimes.com.
  52. ^ Scahill, Jeremy (21 November 2023). "Al-Shifa Hospital, Hamas's Tunnels, and Israeli Propaganda". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  53. ^ Sinmaz, Emine; Burke, Jason (15 November 2023). "Israeli soldiers raid al-Shifa hospital in escalation of Gaza offensive". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  54. ^ "Israeli forces raid Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital". 18 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  55. ^ "IDF: Troops operating at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City following intel on Hamas terror activity". The Times of Israel.
  56. ^ Yeung, Jessie; Edwards, Christian (1 April 2024). "Israeli troops end Al-Shifa hospital raid, leaving behind bodies and trail of destruction". CNN. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  57. ^ Khadder, Kareem; Noor Haq, Sana (9 April 2024). "'Tell us where our children are?' First bodies exhumed from mass graves at Al-Shifa Hospital after Israeli siege". CNN. Retrieved 16 June 2024.


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