Hamas has systematically exploited Nasser Hospital for military purposes, including storing weapons, operating command-and-control centers, conducting surveillance and providing shelter for terrorists.
By United with Israel Staff
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet carried out a targeted airstrike overnight targeting Mohammed Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, and several other terrorists operating from Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, the military announced Thursday.
According to the IDF, Abu Ismail was responsible for directing the brigade’s terrorist operations, including planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.
He was also responsible for holding numerous Israeli hostages captive throughout the war, the military said.
The strike targeted Abu Ismail and other Hamas terrorists who had established a command center inside the hospital complex, using the medical facility to coordinate attacks against Israeli forces and rebuild the brigade’s military capabilities following heavy losses during the war.
The IDF said the terrorists had been advancing dozens of planned attacks from the hospital grounds, posing an ongoing threat to Israeli soldiers.
According to the military, Hamas had systematically exploited Nasser Hospital for military purposes, including storing weapons, operating command-and-control centers, conducting surveillance and providing shelter for terrorists.
The hospital complex was also allegedly used by Hamas’s internal security and intelligence personnel to conduct interrogations and torture.
(IDF)
The IDF accused Hamas of deliberately exploiting civilian and medical infrastructure for military operations, endangering patients, medical personnel and civilians.
Before the strike, the military issued advance warnings to the civilian population and employed precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.
The IDF and Shin Bet said the operation was conducted to eliminate the threat posed by the terrorists operating from the hospital.
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