The largest medical facility in Gaza, Al-Shifa Hospital, was taken over by the Israeli military, and this was a key component of the military plan behind the ground invasion: Free the approximately 240 captives that were abducted during the Oct. 7 surprise attack and destroy Hamas.
Over the course of the last three weeks, this tactic has been implemented as more than 40,000 Israeli soldiers have surrounded Gaza City, which is reportedly home to Hamas headquarters. After that, the soldiers launched attacks on combatants and shelters while concentrating on a massive network of tunnels that, according to Israeli sources, allows Hamas militants to operate and conceal. Also, Israeli leaders believed that hitting so hard in the center of Gaza City would put pressure on Hamas to come to an agreement about the release of hostages.
Israel has long accused Hamas of employing civilians as human shields in the densely populated Gaza Strip, alleging that the terrorist organisation placed subterranean military facilities near homes, schools, mosques, and hospitals.
According to US military sources, Israeli colleagues have told them to expect further weeks of clearing operations in the north before Israel launches a second onslaught in southern Gaza, broadening the offensive.
The Israeli military’s chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said late Friday that the offensive would continue “in every place where Hamas is, and that is in the south of the strip.”
And, despite the fact that Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said in a video statement on Monday that Israel had “accelerated our activities against the tunnels” and that Hamas militants had lost control of the north and were fleeing south, military analysts said Mr. Gallant’s statements raised many questions.
How will Hamas be defeated if its fighters blend seamlessly with the general people as they travel south? How long can Israel, which lost roughly 1,200 people in the October 7 massacres, withstand mounting international pressure for a cease-fire as civilian losses escalate in Gaza? First and foremost, was Al-Shifa a significant enough military target to warrant a raid?
