WAR CRIME: IDF destroys main surgical wing of Al-Shifa Hospital, sabotaging ceasefire negotiations

03/26/2024 / By Laura Harris

Following a weeklong siege of Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) destroyed the hospital’s primary surgical building.

This second siege of Al-Shifa Hospital, which began on March 18, stems from unsubstantiated claims from the IDF that “senior Hamas terrorists” were using the hospital to coordinate and facilitate terrorist activities.

The IDF reported that over 800 individuals have been detained during the operation, with approximately 480 of them identified as members of Hamas or its allied militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. More than 140 other alleged Hamas terrorists have also been killed.

“Over the past day, the troops have eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment,” the IDF said in a statement. (Related: Israel’s Al-Shifa Hospital raid was THEATER – IDF substantially tampered with footage and evidence.)

According to reports from Middle East Eye, the building was targeted on March 21 as the IDF intensified its blockade of the hospital. Earlier on that same day, the IDF reportedly ordered civilians trapped inside through loudspeakers to surrender and evacuate the premises. This was followed by contradictory orders to not leave the building without the express permission of the IDF.

“We warned you, we warned you, we warned you,” an IDF soldier said on loudspeaker. “Do not make a mistake; do not try us. If you leave the building [without the army’s orders], the soldiers will shoot at you.”

Video footage captured the chaotic moments as women and children scrambled to comply with the orders, while the IDF took men away to illegal detention centers.

IDF accused of committing war crimes and sabotaging ceasefire negotiations

IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi admitted that the Al-Shifa operation sought to apply pressure on Hamas’ leadership and on the ongoing negotiations for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.

“In our operation here, we are serving two goals – hurting Hamas’s leadership and putting pressure on the [hostage release] negotiations,” he said.

In its own statement, Hamas also vehemently denied the IDF’s accusation that it is harboring fighters within the hospital’s complex.

Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s government media office, refuted the claims. He argued that those killed were wounded patients and displaced individuals seeking refuge within the hospital.

“The Israeli occupation army practices lying and deception in spreading its narrative as part of justifying its continuous and law-breaking crimes, which violate international law, international humanitarian law,” Al-Thawabta stated.

Meanwhile, Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas’ political wing based out of Qatar, accused Israel of sabotaging ceasefire negotiations, as the raid occurred in a complex crowded with patients and displaced individuals.

“The actions of the Zionist occupation forces at Al-Shifa Medical Complex confirm their intent to obstruct the recovery of life in Gaza and dismantle essential aspects of human existence,” said Haniyeh. “The deliberate targeting of police officers and government officials in Gaza illustrates their efforts to sow chaos and perpetuate violence among our resilient people. This also reveals the occupation leaders’ endeavor to sabotage ongoing negotiations in Doha.”

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Watch this clip of Israel’s relentless shelling in the Gaza Strip for the 11th consecutive day.

This video is from the Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.