Israel Discovers Tunnels Under Al-Shifa Hospital

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Israel shows journalists the tunnel under Al-Shifa Hospital. The structure is said to be the military headquarters of Hamas. It’s a war of images.

GAZA – Israeli forces have been entering the Islamist Hamas tunnel under Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for several days. The Israeli military led reporters through tunnels ahead of a ceasefire in the Gaza war on Friday (November 24). Including Holger Stark, deputy headmaster time, and a reporter for a left-liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz. All pictures taken must be handed over to the military.

They describe a branching network of tunnels beneath the clinic. The military shows them evidence that the Israeli hostages were taken to hospital, at least temporarily, by their Islamist captors. 240 kidnapped and 1,200 killed in Hamas attack on southern Israel.

170 Meter Tunnel: Hamas “Headquarters” Under Al-Shifa Hospital

The situation surrounding Al-Shifa Clinic cannot be assessed with certainty. But the HaaretzThe reporter describes a “170 meter long tunnel”. Journalists were taken around the clinic grounds and through part of the tunnel system by IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari. The starting point of the tour is described Haaretz And Time Agreed on the so-called Qatar wing of the clinic. We descended through a narrow shaft into a tunnel about 1.80 meters high. “This is the headquarters for Hamas commanders at the company and battalion levels,” Hagari told Haaretz.

Weapons, explosives, grenades and drones allegedly stored by Hamas there were handed over to journalists. Nevertheless, Islamists vehemently deny all Israeli accusations. Israel and some Western countries have repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields.

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Israeli forwards discovered the first suspected Hamas mines under al-Shifa hospital last week. © IMAGO/ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES

War in the Middle East: Israelis’ Mission Not to “Collect Every Gun”

Army spokesman Hagari explained that the tunnel was discovered by a power line running from Al-Shifa Hospital to the air-conditioning system in the tunnel. In TimeThe report describes a wall behind which the IDF suspects another tunnel. Due to concerns about booby traps, the wall has not yet been demolished. Hagari told the newspaper that the army’s aim was “not to collect every gun”. Haaretz. It was “to show the world that Hamas uses the hospital as its headquarters”.

In this November 15, 2023, video released by the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli soldiers walk near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
In this November 15, 2023, video released by the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli soldiers walk near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. © Israel Defense Forces/IDF/AP/dpa

This is important for Israel to justify the attack on the hospital under international law. Since Israeli soldiers attacked the hospital along with medical staff, Israel has repeatedly presented Hamas weapons caches at the hospital.

International legal experts debate the legitimacy of Israel’s attack

In conversation with IPPEN.MEDIA Wolf Heinschel von Heinecke, an international law expert at the Viatrina University in Frankfurt an der Oder, explained that this is central to the implementation of an exception to the Porsche Act. Unless civilian infrastructure such as hospitals are used for “acts that harm the enemy,” “all parties to the conflict are obligated to ensure that clinics continue to fulfill their humanitarian function.” “This would be the case if, for example, they were used as weapons depots, military intelligence posts or military command centers,” the lawyer explained. It must be “checked” and the hospital can only be attacked after a reasonable period of warning and evacuation.

The children were discharged from the clinic a week ago

The Palestinian Red Crescent said in recent days about two dozen children, mostly premature babies, had been evacuated from the clinic to Egypt. Reports repeatedly refer to the poor health of children. UNICEF reports deaths. Israel asserted with supporting photographs that the fuel was distributed prior to the attack on Al-Shifa hospital. Hamas employees were banned from using it. Additionally, the IDF has repeatedly stressed in recent days that it is operating with “high precision” in and around the hospital.

International lawyer: Hamas “command structure” would legitimize attack

Attacks can only be carried out using mild means. These are the abandonment of ground forces and airstrikes, which the IDF followed, says international law expert Pierre Thielbörger from the University of Bochum on the special portal. Legal Tribune Online Definitely. Israel must now demonstrate what purpose the occupation of the hospital serves. “If protecting the arsenal is ‘just’, it is different than shutting down the central command structure,” Markus Krajewski, a professor of international law at the University of Erlangen, told the specialized portal. Heintschel von Heinegg says Israel must prove that its military could “justifiably” assume that Hamas abused the clinic during the attack. (kb)

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