What did the Israeli military find at Al-Shifa Hospital, suspected of being a Hamas headquarters? – Liberation

From the night of Tuesday, November 14 to Wednesday, November 15, the Israeli army announced that it would carry out a “targeted operation” at Al Shifa Hospital – Gaza’s largest, located north of the enclave. Twenty-four hours later, the IDF posted online various images of the discoveries made in the building.

For weeks, Israeli officials have asserted that Hamas uses the hospital as its headquarters, which, in their view, legitimizes the incessant strikes on the area. On October 27, Israeli Prime Minister Al-Shifa aired a 3D visualization showing tunnels dug under the hospital, meeting rooms. On a map, the Israeli government indicated the presence of a “Hamas command and control center” and several “underground Hamas compounds.”

No weapons, no tunnel

The first images revealed by the Israeli military this Thursday show no such infrastructure, at least so far. But weapons and military equipment are scattered throughout the hospital’s many rooms. The seven-minute video was posted on Israeli military networks. Presented as a catalog of what was found at the site by the IDF, we see Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus (one of the Israeli army’s English-speaking spokesmen) wandering through several rooms. It was shot during the day, probably Wednesday. As one observer noted, Jonathan Conricus’ watch reads 1:18 p.m..

This video refers to Lt. Col “Filmed simultaneously without editing” (This is imprecise, a cut is made at 6′27″). From the first pictures, you can see the inscription “Prince Nayef Radiodiagnosis and Radiotherapy Center” on the wall of the entrance hall – A medical unit formed in 2004 – Confirms that the following images were indeed filmed in Al-Shifa. This area of ​​the hospital, where the military’s findings are concentrated to date, is not part of the buildings thought to cover Hamas’s underground headquarters, circled in red on a map released by the Israeli military on 27 October 2023.

“pick up the bag”

In the video, Conricus tells what was discovered in this part of the site “It absolutely confirms without a doubt that Hamas is systematically using hospitals for its military operations in violation of international law. I think what we have discovered is only the tip of the iceberg. For its part, Hamas described the move as “Lies and Cheap Propaganda”.

After noticing that “All security cameras are blocked”Conricus crosses a long hallway to a room occupied by an MRI machine. “If you follow me behind the machine, you’ll see what our troopers just updated a few minutes ago”. He first presents a bulky bag, which he describes as a Hamas member’s “grab bag” (in other words, a bag containing the equipment needed to arm oneself). “[Dans cet] There is military equipment, an AK47, bullets, grenades and of course a uniform. All this was very conveniently and secretly hidden behind the machine.. Conricus notes that a bag containing a computer was also hidden there.

Also in the center, the spokesperson shows the camera two bags of weapons, which he explains were found in a closet in the middle of a corridor in the imaging department. Then, after going through another MRI room, “Similar contraband was found in it”It delivers the contents of another bag “A Complete Military Kit for a Hamas Terrorist”. We find a pair of shoes, a tactical vest, a grenade, bullets and an assault rifle. The contents of the last bag were previously emptied into a cupboard. Pictured is a military insignia, a bulletproof vest bearing the inscription “Brigades al-Qassam” in Arabic, the armed wing of Hamas, a knife and a gun. Finally, in one last room, Conricus displays a backpack, a radio, records and a computer whose screen is dimmed and which, according to the spokesperson, “contains many incriminating elements prima facie”.

A weapon moved

In this column the computer screen appears, Published by the IDF. In fact, in the first version of the video published online by the Israeli forces, a photo appeared on the screen: the portrait of an Israeli soldier named Ori Megidish. He assured that he was released from the hands of Hamas at the end of October. Hamas has always denied keeping him among its hostages.

Other images of the operation were broadcast, notably on the IDF Telegram channel. So a video, With a length of 1′13″, A longer version provided by Conricus uses footage that has already been broadcast. Also, a large blue carpet and cushions on the floor add to the armory’s perspective. In total, there are twelve guns, one pistol, one knife, fourteen magazines of ammunition, three grenades, three vests, military fatigues, a balaclava, a pair of shoes, weapon lubricant and two aerosols. We identify several pieces of equipment on the carpet that can be seen in the IDF spokesperson’s video.

A Another picture A long table arranges military equipment, displaying communications equipment, books and pamphlets (many of them bearing the insignia of the al-Qassam Brigades) and a box of dates. Another photo of the same room This time aired with IDF soldiers. However, it is difficult to locate this room with certainty within the hospital. Unlike the previous photo (of the blue carpet), elements photographed on the table are visible in Jonathan Conriquez’s video.

Wednesday through Thursday evenings, reporters BBC And Fox News The presence of the Israeli army allowed access to this medical imaging center. In the footage broadcast by the American channel and British public television, we see Jonathan Conricus showing journalists the documents and weapons provided to journalists in a sequence filmed by the IDF, specifically the items behind the MRI machines. A comparison between their different contents suggests that the weapons had been moved before the arrival of the media. In fact, even though they were taken at the same location, the pictures do not show the same thing depending on whether they were shot by the military or by journalists.

So, as we described earlier, Jonathan Conricus shows up behind an MRI machine with a bag of military equipment. “An AK47”. However, when Fox News and the BBC film or photograph the back of a similar machine, in the same room, we now see ammunition, a pair of shoes and, above all, two weapons instead of one. One of the two guns, a short-barreled weapon with a green shoulder strap, appears in the IDF video inside a cabinet in another room. Also in the bottom right of the photo of the Armory is laid out on the blue carpet.

We understand that English-speaking media reports were carried out at night, on Wednesday evening. And then, so, to the long video by Conricus. Then, also, for two photos shared by the military showing weapons stacked together on a blue sheet and table, the URL of these photos (Here And there) confirms it was taken on Wednesday afternoon, before 6 p.m. The weapons were allegedly kept to shoot journalists. The BBC and Fox News did not respond to requests for comment Check the messages.

Many experts have pointed to the fact that the weapons cache found at the site – according to the IDF – is insignificant. The Israeli military contacted againIndicates possession “Clear Information” Hamas links operation in Al-Shifa to hostages. And to mention “New Elements” Referring to the existence of a Hamas tunnel under the hospital: Our forces are working to find them.

The Israeli press also emphasized the fact that the move would have a “symbolic” purpose, to show Hamas that it is determined to go all the way to the Sahel, and that Hamas is Israeli. Haaretz, “Nowhere is safe.”

On Thursday evening, the Israeli military announced that it had found the lifeless body of Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old hostage kidnapped by Hamas militants, near Al-Shifa Hospital. The report did not specify when she was killed. That’s what the Israeli army says “Military equipment including Kalashnikov assault rifles and RPGs were also found in the structure where the hostages were held.”. The Israeli military said it found a tunnel near the hospital. A video has surfaced showing what appears to be the entrance to an underground structure. But the nature of the latter could not be confirmed on Thursday evening, according to the images that were broadcast.