During the
Israel–Hamas war, Israel and the United States
[1][2] stated that a vast complex existed under
al-Shifa hospital that was being used by
Hamas as its "main operations base", which Hamas and hospital administrators denied.
[3][4] Following Israel's release of video evidence on 22 November, multiple news agencies concluded that the evidence did not demonstrate the use by Hamas of a command center.
The New York Times also said the evidence does not show conclusive evidence of a vast network of tunnels,
[5][6][7][8][9][10] while
Haaretz concluded that Hamas did use the hospital for military purposes.
[11] Amnesty International said on 23 November 2023 that "Amnesty International has so far not seen any credible evidence to support Israel’s claim that al-Shifa is housing a military command centre" and that "theIsraeli military has so far failed to provide credible evidence" for the allegation.
[12] Izzat al-Risheq, a Hamas official, denied that the group used the hospital as
a shield for its underground military structures, saying there was no truth to the claims.
[13][14]
Israel has been accused of waging a propaganda war to detract from accusations that its actions at al-Shifa constitute violations of international law, and medical staff at al-Shifa have accused Israel of directly causing the deaths of civilians being treated at al-Shifa, including prematurely born babies.
[15] The head of the World Health Organization called the November raid on the hospital "totally unacceptable".
[16]
