GAZA — The Hamas-run government media office has accused Israel of lying on evidence found inside Al-Shifa hospital.
Ismail Al Thawabta, the director of the Gaza Government Media office, rejected Israel’s allegations that Hamas equipment was found in Al-Shifa hospital.
Israel says its soldiers have uncovered what the army is calling “military equipment used by Hamas” during a raid at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The IDF presented some of the evidence in a video.
Al Thawabta said Israel failed to present significant evidence despite the “whole world” predicting “that this [Israeli] military was going to show maps of the Hamas command and control centers.”
A member of Hamas’ political office, Izzat al-Risheq, accused Israel of “staging a shameful play” with the raid, in a statement on Telegram.
Both Risheq and Thawabta accused Israel of fabricating the evidence presented.
On Wednesday, a senior Israeli defense official said troops had uncovered “concrete evidence that Hamas terrorists used the Shifa hospital as a terror headquarters,” promising to present the evidence later.
Israel is under significant international pressure to prove its claims about Hamas’s infiltration of the hospital, in order to justify some of its military decisions — which could otherwise constitute a possible serious violation of international humanitarian law.
There is certainly no indication yet that troops have uncovered a multi-level tunnel structure with underground chambers — of the kind illustrated in an animation presented by the army spokesperson at a briefing almost three weeks ago.
The IDF said on Thursday that they had taken “operational control” of the harbor in Gaza City, which is the center of the strip’s fleet of fishing vessels.
In a statement, the IDF said the harbor had also been used as a training facility for Hamas fighters.
The IDF said their forces had destroyed ten tunnel shafts as part of the operation.
CNN cannot independently verify the IDF claims or the exact location of their forces.
The Israeli military has also said its warplanes struck the Gaza home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The army released aerial video showing a large explosion, which it said showed the house being destroyed.
Haniyeh has not been based in Gaza for several years.
Elsewhere, in the Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said they located and destroyed Hamas naval forces’ weapons, including diving gear and explosive devices. The army said it had taken control of the refugee camp on Tuesday. CNN cannot independently confirm the army’s claims. — CNN