Israeli military officials revealed on Friday (October 28) that Hamas used the ground underneath the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to establish a command and control center that connects all of its tunnels.
"Hamas has turned hospitals into command and control centers and hideouts for Hamas terrorists and commanders," Israel Defense Force (IDF) chief military spokesperson RAdm.
Daniel Hagari told a news conference while showing photographs, diagrams, and audio recordings he said allowed the group to use the hospital system to hide a variety of command posts and entry points into the extensive tunnel network under Gaza, Reuters reported.
"Hamas terrorists operate inside and under Shifa hospital and other hospitals in Gaza," the admiral added.
Israeli officials also said Hamas has significant fuel reserves which they were using for its own operations.
"There is fuel in hospitals in Gaza and Hamas is using it for its terrorist infrastructure," Hagari explained.
The IDF also claimed that Hamas could enter the tunnel system through several of the hospital units, using the hospital staffers and their patients as human shields.
Hamas Denies IDF's Claims
On the other hand, Hamas political bureau member Ezzat El-Reshiq said in a statement on Telegram that the IDF's allegations had "no basis," accusing Israel of spreading lies as "a prelude to committing a new massacre against our people".
Hagari noted that Hamas fighters "operate inside hospitals precisely because they know that the IDF distinguishes between terrorists and civilians."
He stated that the information on Hamas's use of the hospital was based on a wide range of intelligence sources collected by the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli security agency Shin Bet, The Times of Israel reported.
"When medical facilities are used for terror purposes, they are liable to lose their protection from attack in accordance with international law," Hagari warned.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told reporters that he expected the ground attack in Gaza to be a lengthy and tough process, including the prospect of Israeli troops eliminating "pockets of resistance."