Israel says it has isolated Gaza City after ‘major’ attack: Live updates on the war between Israel and Hamas

Israeli officials continued to insist on Sunday that Hamas was using health centers in the area as human shields. Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF’s chief spokesman, said Hamas was exploiting medical facilities “cynically” and “systematically.”

Just over a week after Israeli officials announced they had identified Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest and most advanced, as a hospital used by Hamas as underground command and control centers, Admiral Hajari presented what he said was evidence that the militant group was using two stations. Others – Sheikh Hamad, north of Gaza City, and Indonesian, in north Gaza – as basic cover.

Admiral Hagari introduced Photos and videos What he said was that a Hamas tunnel was opened under Sheikh Hamad Hospital and gunmen opened fire on Israeli ground forces from inside the hospital. He also said there was an underground Hamas command and control center beneath the Indonesian hospital, and showed aerial photographs of what he said were rocket launch pads about 80 yards from his territory. He said that Hamas placed it there, knowing that any air strike against the launch pads would damage the hospital.

The images could not be independently verified. Admiral Hajari said that Israel had shared it with “other agencies.”

In making the previous accusations regarding the healing, Admiral Hagari submitted a report Illustrated map From that hospital, citing undisclosed intelligence sources, he described areas of the complex and underground facilities that he said were used as command centers by Hamas. Hamas officials denied the accusation at the time, saying Israel had failed to provide any evidence.

Israeli and Palestinian claims and counterclaims about hospitals have become a flashpoint in the war, not least because many of the facilities have become shelters for displaced people from Gaza who believe they are safer than other alternatives.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society, an independent relief organization, said on Sunday that Israel was continuing to bomb the area surrounding Al-Quds Hospital in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood south of Gaza City. Israel has not publicly identified that this hospital, run by the Red Crescent, houses Hamas’ military infrastructure.

The Red Crescent Society said that Israeli forces intensified their attacks on the vicinity of the hospital, saying that artillery and air strikes “from all directions” during the past week led to the injury of 47 displaced people who took refuge in the hospital, in addition to two patients in the hospital. Intensive care unit.

The group said an air strike occurred on Saturday near the entrance to the hospital’s emergency room. The surgeon there, Dr. Nabil Shawa, said that 21 people were injured.

The relief society said that about 14,000 displaced people have taken refuge in the hospital in recent days, and another 500 are being treated there, adding that the bombing caused severe damage to the hospital’s critical care unit and water supply lines.

The World Health Organization said in Statement on Saturday There were reports of an attack near the Indonesian hospital, but did not provide any details.

The WHO statement condemned the attacks that occurred near Al-Quds Hospital and the Israeli airstrike on Friday that struck near the entrance to Al-Shifa Hospital and, according to Gaza and Israeli officials, led to the deaths of several people. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that the raid came while a convoy of ambulances was trying to transport the wounded to the Gaza border back to the hospital. The group said that the convoy turned back after reaching a hole on its southbound road.

The Israeli army said that it carried out the raid on an ambulance used by Hamas and killed a number of activists.

“We are striking based on intelligence information,” Admiral Hajari said on Sunday. He said: “We do not want to hit hospitals and ambulances.” He added: “We are fighting to defeat Hamas, free our hostages and liberate Gaza from Hamas.”

Heba Yazbek Contributed to reports.