Israeli media reported that the army arrested a "valuable prey" at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza. Israel stated that it employed an ambush with a "deceptive method" that allowed it to capture hundreds of fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, among them several security officials and military leaders, during the extensive raid targeting the besieged Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The Israeli army announced that it killed hundreds of fighters and detained more than 500 suspects, including 358 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, marking the largest simultaneous arrest since the war began nearly six months ago.
The high number of casualties and detainees among the fighters is attributed to the success of the Israeli concealment tactics during the initial incursion into the hospital last November, where Israeli forces deliberately suggested they were unaware of more significant and deeper access points in the health complex used by Palestinians. After months, the number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters grew, allowing the Israelis to return, resembling an ambush to strike.
IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that special forces units used "deceptive techniques" to surprise the fighters and inflicted severe damage on Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Among the detainees are three senior military leaders from Islamic Jihad and two officials from Hamas responsible for operations in the occupied West Bank, as well as other internal security officials from Hamas.
