©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises as displaced Palestinians take shelter in Al Shifa hospital, amid the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Doaa Rouqa/File Photo
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli army said on Monday that its troops raided the Al-Shifa hospital compound in Gaza, in an operation that Palestinian health authorities said caused numerous casualties and started a massive fire in one of the buildings.
The military said the soldiers were conducting a “precise operation” and were shot at when they entered the compound. “The troops responded with live fire and the shots were identified. Our troops continue to operate in the hospital area,” she added.
The military’s statement said the operation was based on intelligence information indicating the hospital was used by senior Hamas leaders.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said a fire broke out at the entrance to the compound, leading to cases of suffocation among displaced women and children hospitalized.
Communication was cut and people were trapped inside the clinic and emergency room of one of the buildings.
“There are casualties, including dead and wounded, and it is impossible to save anyone due to the intensity of the fire and the fact that anyone who approaches the windows is targeted,” the ministry said, accusing Israeli forces of “a another crime against healthcare institutions”.
The army said troops were instructed on the importance of operating with caution and measures to take to avoid harm to patients, civilians, medical personnel and medical equipment, and that patients are not required to evacuate.
Hamas said in a statement that the Israeli army committed a new crime by directly targeting hospital buildings without concern for the patients, medical staff and displaced people inside.
Israel came under fierce criticism last year when troops first raided the hospital, where they discovered tunnels nearby that they said were used as command and control centers by Hamas.
The hospital in Gaza City is one of the few health facilities remaining in the besieged enclave and the Israeli army has long accused the Islamic movement Hamas of using it as a base for its fighters.
Hamas and hospital officials have denied the accusation, and the hospital has been at the center of accusations of war crimes from both sides, with the Palestinians accusing Israel of targeting the hospitals and Israel saying the sites were used to shelter armed fighters.