The Israeli military says it has found several weapons under a clinic in Gaza – and has released video footage of it. A military spokesman also reported signs of a hostage situation.
According to the army, Israeli soldiers found a large number of weapons in the basement of a hospital in Gaza City. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in the evening that there were also indications that the hostages may have been held in the basement of the Rantisi hospital. The military spokesman said that he was also there, accompanied by foreign journalists. Rantisi Hospital, which was evacuated on Sunday, specializes in treating children with cancer.
Khalil al-Haja, the head of the Hamas terrorist group, told Al-Jazeera broadcaster that these were false accusations by Israel. Information cannot be independently verified.
Hagari showed video footage of weapons in a basement, and said explosive belts, grenades, guns and explosive devices, computers and cash were found there. “They want to demonstrate to the world how Hamas has turned hospitals into its terror machine,” Hagari said.
The military is looking at the source of the hostages
Regarding evidence that the hostages may be in the basement, Hagari said an improvised toilet, a small kitchen and a baby bottle were found. A handwritten calendar was found on the wall counting the days from October 7. The pictures also showed the seating area.
A bullet-holed motorcycle was found with a hair band on it, Hagari said. It is similar to the motorcycles used by terrorists in the October 7 massacre in Israel. It is believed that the terrorists may have holed up in the lower floor of the hospital after the attack. But there is also intelligence confirming the presence of hostages at the site.
A tunnel entrance more than 20 meters deep was also found near the hospital. The tunnel is believed to have been used for military purposes.
Heavy fighting near the clinic
According to the AFP news agency, the district around Randisi Hospital has been witnessing fierce fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hamas terrorists for the past few days. Witnesses also reported heavy fighting around Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Israeli tanks were a few meters away from the entrance.
Shifa Hospital is considered strategically important in Israel because it is suspected by the military to be a command center for the radical Islamist Hamas. Hamas and hospital staff deny the allegations. Israel recently said Shifa Hospital refused to accept fuel. However, according to the clinic boss, the group feared they would be fired upon if they left the clinic. The hospital’s operations were recently halted due to fuel shortage.
Conflicting parties as a resource
In the current situation, it is not possible for an independent organization to directly verify information on fighting, shelling and casualties provided by the Palestinian and Israeli conflict parties.
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