On Thursday, the Israeli army released a photo it claims belongs to 350 members of Hamas and Jihad who were arrested within the Shifa Medical Complex in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided the Shifa Hospital in Gaza after confirming that fighters from Hamas and Jihad were holed up in the emergency department building, with military operations expected to continue at the site for a few more days, according to Israeli sources.
Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that Israeli forces arrested several leaders of Jihad at Shifa Hospital, adding that he could not disclose their names at this time due to ongoing investigations. Hagari mentioned in a statement, "We are relocating the patients, about 220 patients, to another building with appropriate medical equipment to ensure the safety of all patients and doctors."
The Israeli official remarked, "There are fighters holed up in the emergency building; those who surrender will remain alive, and those who do not will be reached and killed."
In a statement released on Thursday evening, the Israeli army announced that it had "arrested several high-ranking officials in Hamas and killed 140 militants" during the ongoing operation at Shifa Hospital complex. The army explained that "the arrested militants were transferred to the General Security Service for interrogation, while the army continues its operation at Shifa Hospital."
It noted that "many weapons and documents were found," clarifying that "based on information from military intelligence and the internal security agency (Shabak), the Israeli army carried out its targeted raid to pursue senior Hamas officials who had regained positions within the hospital complex."
The army confirmed that "600 militants had been arrested during the operation, including senior officials from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movement, who were not only managing activities in the Gaza Strip but also in the West Bank."
The statement detailed that "prominent Hamas leaders recently arrested include Amr Azida, who heads the movement's activities in the Nablus area of the West Bank, Mahmoud Qawasmi, who planned and financed the abduction of three teenagers in 2014, and Hamdallah Hassan Ali, who was promoting hostile activities in the United States."
