Since the onset of Israel’s invasion of Gaza after the events of October 7, Gaza’s biggest hospital, Al-Shifa had become the centre of focus.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Israeli troops stormed into the hospital in Gaza City — a sprawling complex of buildings and courtyards.

Israel claimed the action was a “precise and targeted” operation against Hamas, but since the raid, the military has yet to produce any evidence to back their claims that Hamas runs a command centre beneath the hospital or that the hospital has entrances to the Hamas’ vast network of tunnels.

The UN estimates there are at least 2,300 people inside Al-Shifa. The hospital was caring for 36 babies as of Tuesday, according to medical staff there.

During the operation, Israeli troops interrogated dozens of civilians, many of whom were stripped, but they were released when the troops withdrew, said the journalist in contact with AFP.

“All men 16 years and above, raise your hands,” a soldier shouted in accented Arabic through a loudspeaker at those sheltering inside the hospital.

“Exit the building towards the courtyard and surrender,” the soldier ordered, according to the journalist who visited the embattled hospital several days ago for interviews and was trapped inside by intense fighting.

About 1,000 Palestinian men, their hands above their heads, were soon led into the vast hospital courtyard, some of them stripped naked by Israeli soldiers checking them for weapons or explosives, the journalist told AFP.

“Bombardment. Shoot­ing around the hospital and within the hospital. It’s really horrible you can feel that it’s very near to the hospital. And then we realised that the tanks are moving around the hospital,” Doctor Ahmed El Mokhallalati told Reuters by phone from Al-Shifa Hospital.

“They just parked in front of the hospital emergency department. All kinds of weapons were used around the hospital,” and staff avoided being near the windows.

He said he felt relief when troops finally entered the complex, despite concerns among staff, as the fear of being bombarded from outside had been immense.

Israeli troops spent the day deepening their search, the Israeli army said.

An army video showed automatic weapons, grenades, ammunition and flak jackets it said were recovered from an undisclosed building within the complex, Reuters reported.

“The troops continue to search the hospital in a precise, intelligence-based, manner,” army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a press briefing late on Wednesday.

“We will continue to do so, in order to gather further information, to discover additional assets, and to expose the terror activities within the hospital.”

What they have found (and not) so far

Israeli forces raided the Al-Shifa complex on Wednesday evening “for the second time in 24 hours” WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, reported. Bulldozers and military vehicles were used, the agency said, citing local sources, according to Reuters.

The IDF said that their troops discovered an operational command centre, weapons, and technological assets belonging to Hamas inside the MRI building, as reported by the BBC.

The IDF stated that they are still active in the hospital complex and shared images and videos depicting what they claimed to be Hamas weapons.

In a seven-minute video, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus pointed out security cameras he alleged were covered and weapons, specifically AK47 rifles, which he claimed were concealed behind MRI scanners.

The Israeli military made no mention of finding any tunnel entrances in Al-Shifa. It previously claimed Hamas had built a network of tunnels under the hospital, Reuters reported.

“These arms by themselves hardly seem to justify the military fixation on Al-Shifa, even setting the law aside,” commented Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group and a former legal adviser at the State Department, Washington Post reports.

During an interview on CNN on Wednesday, Richard Hecht, another IDF spokesman, remained guarded when discussing the findings of the raid. “We discovered certain things,” he stated. “That’s the extent of what I can disclose at this point.”

The IDF forces found no sign of hostages at the site, reported Israel’s Army Radio.

Hamas has denied it and dismissed the latest army statements.

“The occupation forces are still lying … as they brought some weapons, clothes and tools and placed them in the hospital in a scandalous manner,” Qatar-based Hamas senior member Ezzat El Rashq said.

“We have repeatedly called for a committee from the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the Red Cross to verify the lies of the occupation.”

Late on Wednesday night, a journalist trapped inside the hospital told AFP that Israeli troops had withdrawn from the building after entering it overnight, and had redeployed around its outskirts.

Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency reported early on Thursday that Israeli tanks raided Al Shifa from the complex’s southern side and that gunfire was heard in the area.

There are reports that around 200 individuals have undergone blindfolded interrogations and have been transported to undisclosed locations.

Witnesses within the hospital informed Al Jazeera that Israeli troops initiated this process with 30 individuals who were stripped of their clothing and then taken to the hospital’s courtyard. After interrogations, more people were taken, blindfolded, and organised into groups.

Header image: Israeli soldiers inspect the Al Shifa hospital complex, amid their ground operation against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, November 15, 2023. — IDF/Reuters