IDF detains hundreds of terrorists at Hamas hospital base
Security forces apprehended more than 240 terrorists in a targeted operation against a Hamas command centre in Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, the Israel Defence Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said in a joint statement on Saturday.
Terrorists surrender to Israeli forces near Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, Dec. 14, 2023. Credit: IDF.
Fifteen among those arrested at the command centre in Jabalia infiltrated Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 invasion, the IDF and Shin Bet said.
“Despite repeated calls to refrain from allowing terrorists to exploit hospitals for military activities, IDF and Shin Bet intelligence identified that terrorists were once again using Kamal Adwan Hospital as a command center for its military operations in Jabalia,” the statement read.
ׅ“Following this intelligence, the IDF conducted and completed a targeted operation against the Hamas terror stronghold inside Kamal Adwan Hospital,” the military and Shin Bet added.
The IDF’s 401st Brigade encircled Kamal Adwan Hospital and killed terrorists in the vicinity, with Shayetet 13 (“Flotilla 13”) naval commandos entering the hospital and locating and confiscating weapons in the area, including grenades, guns, munitions and other military equipment, the statement continued.
Outside the hospital, “terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and RPGs at the troops and attempted to carry out additional attacks against the troops. The troops swiftly eliminated the terrorists. In addition, the [Israeli Air Force] conducted strikes that eliminated terrorists attempting to flee the area. There were no IDF casualties,” the military said.
Some Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist group members tried to pose as patients or flee in ambulances, according to the statement.
The hospital’s director, Hussam Abu Safiya, was taken into custody as a Hamas terrorist suspect, the IDF and Shin Bet stated.
Before the operation, 350 patients and medical staff were safely evacuated from the hospital in a coordinated effort with the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit.
“Tens of thousands of liters of fuel, food, and medical supplies for the essential functioning of the hospital were also delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital over this period.”
An additional 95 patients, caregivers and medical personnel were evacuated to the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City, in coordination with local officials in the health authorities, and hundreds of civilians were able to leave the area for their own safety via defined evacuation routes, the IDF and Shin Bet said.
On Friday, the IDF pushed back against a flurry of reports that the military was responsible for a fire that broke at Kamal Adwan Hospital.
“Today, the IDF started a precise counter-terrorism operation in the area of Kamal Adwan hospital,” IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani wrote on X.
“While IDF troops were not in the hospital, a small fire broke out in an empty building inside the hospital compound that is under control. After preliminary examination, no connection was found between IDF activity and the fire,” Shoshani said.
“Running with unsubstantiated reports on the cause of this fire shows nothing but questionable journalistic integrity,” he added.
Earlier on Friday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza accused Israel of setting fire to the hospital, claiming that IDF troops were responsible.
“The occupation forces have taken dozens of the medical staff from Kamal Adwan Hospital to a detention center for interrogation, including the director, Hussam Abu Safiya,” the ministry added in a statement.
Meanwhile, in Beit Hanun, east of Jabalia, IDF troops under the command of the 143rd “Gaza” Division operated against terrorist targets overnight Friday, the IDF said.
Artillery and fighter jets struck many of the targets before the entry of ground forces, the military added.
The IDF permitted residents who have yet to evacuate the battle zone to leave via orderly routes for their safety, the IDF said.
JNS
