Israeli soldiers captured around 100 suspected Hamas militants during a raid on the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, the army announced on Monday.
Gaza health officials and Hamas have denied the presence of militants in the hospital, which Israeli forces attacked on Friday and liberated on Saturday.
“Soldiers captured about 100 terrorists in the compound, including terrorists who tried to escape while evacuating civilians. In the hospital, they found weapons, terrorist funds and intelligence documents,” the army said.
Gaza’s health ministry said troops arrested dozens of male medical personnel and damaged the hospital, which was already struggling to function due to intense Israeli raids in the area. “Some of the fully identified terrorists disguised themselves as medical personnel, so we have no choice but to check the medical personnel as well,” a military official told reporters at a press conference in the row.
Images released on Saturday by Gaza’s health ministry – which Reuters could not immediately verify – show damage to several buildings after Israeli forces withdrew.
The military official said that the troops caused limited damage to the hospital when they entered, and that the soldiers also had to destroy what he described as “dual-use” equipment, such as the oxygen tanks, which, if they had exploded, could have injured him. someone in the complex.
The medical staff refused to evacuate the hospital or leave their patients unattended. Hundreds of displaced Palestinians have also taken refuge there. “They evacuated everyone who was staying there… They separated the men from the women and created two lines, it was very humiliating for our men because they took them without clothes and nothing to cover them,” said Mayssoun Alian, a nurse. in the hospital.
The military official said the arrested Hamas suspects were stripped naked to check if they were armed. “After checking, we had clothes,” he said.
Doctors in Gaza said at least two children died in the intensive care unit after Israeli fire hit the facility’s generators and oxygen station on Friday.
The military said civilians in the hospital were safe despite heavy fighting near the compound. Fuel, medical equipment and blood units have been supplied to the hospital and electricity and oxygen have been provided, he added.
