IDF Targets Hamas Terrorists Using Shifa Hospital as Command Center

Latest Developments

Israeli troops arrested about 80 Hamas terrorists who were using the premises of Shifa Hospital as a command center, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on March 18. The IDF announced that it killed Faiq Mabhouh, head of operations in Hamas’s internal security force, during the raid. The Israeli incursion targeted limited areas within the hospital complex based on “concrete intelligence that demanded immediate action,” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said. Hamas terrorists fired at Israeli soldiers during the operation, but the IDF eliminated the gunmen. Hamas has operated from many hospitals in Gaza and transported hostages to hospitals in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attack.

Expert Analysis

“Four months after Israeli forces first confronted Hamas terrorists in the vicinity of Shifa Hospital, the IDF has had to go back and clear the area of Hamas terrorists. This illustrates how Hamas continues to cynically exploit healthcare facilities and use them as cover for its terrorist activities. Hamas’s use of hospitals represents a severe abuse of civilians in Gaza and provides more evidence of the need to remove Hamas from Gaza and defeat the terrorist group completely.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“The recent elimination of an armed senior Hamas terrorist and his accomplices inside Shifa Hospital serves as further proof of the lengths to which Hamas will go to carry out attacks against Israel. This incident adds to a growing body of evidence that Hamas is willing to use hospitals as a shield for its terrorist activities, showing a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of civilians. It is clear that Hamas prioritizes its survival above all else, even at the expense of Palestinian lives.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Hamas Continues to Base Terrorist Activity in Hospitals

The IDF released a recording of a conversation between the head of the IDF’s Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) and the director of the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. The CLA for Gaza is responsible for implementing Israeli civil affairs policy in Gaza. “We see that the Hamas terrorist organization is continuing its military activity inside hospitals. We are willing to provide any humanitarian aid needed. Our request is simple: an immediate end to all of the terrorist activity in the hospitals,” the head of the CLA said. Over the last several days, the CLA has discussed the presence of Hamas at Shifa Hospital and told the Ministry of Health in Gaza of the “necessity to thwart them [Hamas], in full coordination with the hospital’s administration,” the IDF noted.

Related Analysis

“IDF: Hamas Held Hostages at Nasser Hospital,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas Member Admits It Uses Hospital as Command Center,” FDD Flash Brief

“10 Things to Know About Hamas and Hospitals,” FDD Insight