Today the IDF operated against Hamas terrorists who have despicably embedded themselves in the main hospital in Khan Yunis.
Israeli troops acted on credible intelligence that Hamas was holding Israeli hostages within the complex. The raid comes after thousands of civilians evacuated the premises following the IDF’s warnings that it would be carrying out operations in the area.
“We do not enter hospitals without reason. Rather, as we have shown repeatedly since the beginning of the war, the use of hospitals as terrorist bases is one of the fundamental aspects of Hamas's operational method,” Hagari said.
“In Nasser Hospital there are approximately four hundred patients and thousands of displaced civilians. It is for this very reason that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, some of whom participated in the October 7th massacre, chose to hide there.”
Israeli troops apprehended dozens of Hamas operatives inside the hospital – including those who directly participated in the October 7th massacre – who revealed during interrogations that Hamas held kidnapped hostages and bodies of hostages inside.
Watch this video of a Hamas terrorist admitting to the terror group’s use of human shields.
The IDF also discovered caches of weapons inside the hospital compound, including grenades and mortar shells.
This operation is just the latest example of Hamas using Gaza’s most vulnerable people to shield its terrorism and hide its weapons.
"In every hospital where we have operated, we have done so precisely and in accordance to international law and will continue to do so," Hagari said. "We have no intention of disrupting the hospital’s function...The only ones with an interest in turning hospitals into battlegrounds are Hamas terrorists."
500 trucks of aid in Gaza are waiting for UN distribution
New footage today further exposes the UN’s failure to distribute aid once it is inspected and transferred by Israel. 500 truckloads of humanitarian aid have been sitting untouched for days inside the Gaza Strip – highlighting the absurdity of the criticisms that Israel isn’t providing enough aid to Gaza’s civilians.
Israel has repeatedly said there is no limit to the amount of aid it can transfer into Gaza. The burden is on the UN to deliver it.
Top U.N. humanitarian officer: Hamas isn’t a terrorist group
"Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, as you know, it is a political movement." The outrageous comments were made by U.N. Relief Chief Martin Griffiths yesterday in an interview with Sky News.
Members of Congress and the White House issued strong rebukes of Griffith’s comments. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the remarks "sickening," while White House spokesperson John Kirby reaffirmed the U.S. position on Hamas during a press conference today.
"Hamas is a terrorist organization. We’ve said so. It is. It just is. You don’t have to look any further than what they did on the seventh of October to see it in stark terms," Kirby said. "Take a look at their manifesto, even the one that was so-called watered down in 2017. There’s no doubt that they just want to wipe out Israel off the face of the map. This is a terrorist organization. Pure and simple. Period."
Al Jazeera reporter wounded in Gaza is a Hamas deputy commander
Ismail Abu Omar, an Al Jazeera reporter who was wounded in an Israeli airstrike near Rafah earlier this week, is also a deputy commander in Hamas’ Khan Yunis battalion. The IDF revealed today that Omar infiltrated into Israel on October 7 and filmed from inside Kibbutz Nir Oz during the massacre.
Earlier this week, the IDF revealed a trove of images and documents revealing that another Al Jazeera reporter, Mohamed Washah, was a prominent commander in Hamas’s military wing.
AIPAC Memo: American recognition of Palestinian statehood today would reward terror and undermine peace
Every durable peace agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors has been the result of direct negotiations between the parties. American recognition of a Palestinian state at this moment — in the wake of the October 7 massacre — would reward terror and disincentivize negotiations while achieving nothing tangible for ordinary Palestinians. The message to the Palestinian public would be clear: Terrorism and violence pay.
The path to Israeli-Palestinian peace must start with removing Hamas from power and the emergence of a reformed and revamped Palestinian Authority committed to peace.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
AIPAC 251 H St. NW • Washington D.C. 20001 • TEL 202-639-5200
