Israel releases videos saying it shows Hamas tunnels under Al-Shifa hospital

The Israeli military on Wednesday sought to back up its claims that Hamas is using tunnels beneath Gaza’s largest hospital, releasing a series of videos it said showed “tens of meters of a tunnel system” beneath the Al-Shifa hospital complex .

Israeli and US officials have said Hamas uses hospitals to provide cover for its military operations, allegations that Hamas and hospital administrators have denied. Israel, under increasing international pressure to prove these claims, has released several videos to publicize its case, showing elements of its tentative exploration of underground structures that the military identifies as Hamas tunnels. The videos so far – including those released on Wednesday – have not provided conclusive evidence of an extensive network of tunnels.

One video released this month showed a military spokesman showing weapons he said were found at Al-Shifa. Another showed part of a tunnel that The New York Times confirmed was shot at Al-Shifa.

That tunnel resembled the one seen in a video released Wednesday. In that videoRear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli army’s chief spokesman, is shown holding a flashlight as he and a group of soldiers traverse a tunnel with a vaulted ceiling that he says is beneath the Al-Shifa complex.

The videos released Wednesday can also be seen at least two toilets, a small alcove with a sink and a room with exposed wiring. Admiral Hagari says in the video that the room and an electrical panel in another part of the tunnel are connected to electricity supplied by the hospital.

In the video, the admiral also shows a room he called a “shelter,” with two cots and a wall-mounted air conditioner that he says is connected to an engine outside a hospital building.

The Israeli military said Hamas likely emptied the rooms as Israeli forces advanced. Admiral Hagari says in the video that Hamas tried to close off and destroy parts of the tunnel before the army arrived.

In another video Released Wednesday, Admiral Hagari entered a house he said was near the Al-Shifa complex and had served as a classroom. Inside the house, which has a blackboard with English letters on it, Admiral Hagari shows an entrance to a tunnel that he says is connected to tunnels under Al-Shifa.

Aric Toler And Malachy Browne reporting contributed.