Israel claims that its special forces invaded Gaza’s largest functional hospital, arresting a number of persons.
The Israeli military described the operation at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as “precise and limited” and claimed to have intelligence that Hamas fighters were hiding there.
Israeli Defense Forces attacked Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, conducting a raid in pursuit of Hamas operatives and Israeli prisoners’ bodies.
Hamas has denied the accusations, calling them “lies”, with health authorities saying Israel has pushed out displaced people and medical workers’ families who were sheltering in the hospital.
Earlier this week, the Israeli military told patients and medical personnel they could stay at the facility, but ordered thousands of displaced residents who had been seeking shelter there to leave.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, the special forces attack occurred hours after an Israeli strike in the complex resulted in the death of a patient and the injuries of six others.
The military announced on Wednesday that while displaced individuals could now leave the hospital through a guarded passage, patients and doctors would still be allowed to remain.
Palestinians have insisted nowhere is safe in the besieged territory, as Israel continues to carry out strikes in all areas of Gaza.
Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian structures to shield its fighters.
Since the war began on 7 October last year when Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel, about 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes due to retaliatory Israeli strikes.
