Israel says it has killed dozens of ‘terrorists’ in a hospital raid

The Israeli army said Thursday it had killed dozens of people it described as terrorists in the past 24 hours, as the attack on northern Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, the largest medical facility in the area, continues into a fourth day stretched out.

Israel has carried out a series of attacks on hospitals in Gaza, arguing that Hamas has used the facilities as command centers and taken advantage of the cover they provide by digging tunnels where it has stored weapons and stationed fighters. The latest attack on Al-Shifa, which began on Monday, appears to have been the deadliest since the war in Gaza began more than five months ago.

Thursday’s Israeli report could not be independently verified, and a lack of communication and access to northern Gaza has made it difficult to monitor developments in the hospital complex.

The Al Jazeera news network and Wafa, the Palestinian Authority news agency, reported Thursday that Israeli forces had blown up a building used for operations that is one of the largest in the complex. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reports, which could not immediately be verified.

The military said in an earlier statement that it “continued to carry out precise operational activities at Shifa Hospital, eliminating dozens of terrorists in gun battles over the past day.” It also said it prevented harm to civilians and had found weapons caches. Hamas has denied using hospitals for military purposes.

Israel made northern Gaza the initial target of its ground invasion of the enclave, which began on October 27, and first raided the hospital in November. It later provided evidence that Hamas had in fact constructed a long tunnel under the hospital, although a later analysis by The New York Times found little evidence that the complex had been used as a command center.

Israeli officials said earlier this week that Hamas personnel had returned to the hospital, prompting the current operation. Military analysts said Israel’s decision to withdraw most of its forces from the north, partly to focus on defeating Hamas in other parts of Gaza, had effectively left a security vacuum.

The initial attack on Al-Shifa became a lightning rod for criticism of Israel over its military action around hospitals and the danger it poses to patients and medical staff. The raid also became a symbol of a broader debate over the human cost of Israel’s military campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza, which has killed or injured tens of thousands of civilians.

Lauren Leatherby reporting contributed.