HAMAS killers behind the Israel terror attack hid a huge weapons cache within the MRI centre of Gaza’s largest hospital.
Israeli special forces wearing night vision goggles found their al-Shifa HQ in a dramatic 2am raid.
An Israeli soldier inside what appears to be Shifa Hospital’s MRI unit
The soldier showed what he claimed was a cache of weapons
Israel claims it found a weapons cache at Shifa Hospital
They blew off the doors to the hospital and searched the sprawling complex to stop the terror group’s “beating heart”.
Last night, they revealed the devastating arsenal they found hidden among bandages and dressings.
They included grab bags containing Kalashnikovs, AK-47s, grenades, body armour with Hamas insignia and ammo.
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said troops have been in contact with hospital staff to facilitate the evacuation of patients, who have been used as human shields by Hamas.
He explained how terrorists likely managed to escape the hospital without being noticed.
“We found uniforms of Hamas terrorists which were thrown on the hospital floor, to allow those terrorists to escape, likely disguised as civilians,” Hagari said.
“We warned the hospital management in advance, before our operation.
“Today, we also delivered to the hospital medical equipment and baby food.”
Fellow Israel Defence Forces spokesman Lt-Col Jonathan Conricus said the evidence “totally confirms without a doubt that Hamas systematically uses hospitals in their military operations”.
He added: “What we have found is only the tip of the iceberg. These weapons have absolutely no business being inside a hospital.
“The only reason they are here is because Hamas put them here and they use this place like many other hospitals for their illicit military purposes.”
An IDF spokesman added: “IDF troops are continuing the precise and targeted operation against Hamas in the Shifa Hospital complex, in which the troops are conducting searches for Hamas terrorist infrastructure and assets.
“As the soldiers entered the hospital complex, they engaged with a number of terrorists and killed them.
“Following this, during searches in one of the departments of the hospital, the troops located a room with technological assets, along with military and combat equipment used by the Hamas terrorist organization.
“In another department in the hospital, the soldiers located an operational command center and technological assets belonging to Hamas, indicating that the terrorist organization uses the hospital for terrorist purposes.
“The technological assets and extensive intelligence information located was transferred for full review by the relevant authorities.
“The IDF is continuing to operate in the hospital complex, while extracting intelligence information and preventing harm to the medical teams and civilians sheltering there.”
Gaza’s health ministry denies the claims.
A Hamas spokesperson said: “The Israeli occupation’s claim that weapons are being stored at al-Shifa hospital is a blatant lie that should deceive nobody any longer.
“The Zionist occupation’s claim that it found weapons and military equipment at al Shifa medical complex is nothing but a continuation of its lies and cheap propaganda.”
Troops were given the green light to go into the hospital after US spooks obtained intelligence confirming it was a human shield for its command centre.
Hamas fighters hiding underground since the slaying of 1,200 Israelis on October 7 were given a 1am deadline to surrender.
An hour later more than 100 commandos — flanked by 30 tanks, countless ground troops and aerial drones — began the battle for al-Shifa.
Five Hamas terrorists laying explosive booby traps in the grounds were killed during a gunfight before troops headed to the hospital’s A&E.
There, soldiers from Israel Defence Forces burst through the doors yelling in Arabic: “Don’t move, don’t move.”
They secured the area and then went from room to room, floor to floor, in search of Hamas fighters, with men aged 16 to 40 ordered into a courtyard and interrogated.
Medical teams, patients and women remained inside.
In the hours that followed the raid, battery-operated incubators for 36 newborn babies fighting for their lives were delivered by Israeli troops to the hospital.
Food and medical supplies were also piled up at the entrance to ease an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Troops remained at the hospital overnight but faced a race against time to locate the entrances to the terror tunnels built below the sprawling site.
It is believed some of the 240 hostages snatched by Hamas gunmen are being held there.
In a passionate address to the nation, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu vowed: “We will not let up.
“There is no place in Gaza that we cannot reach. There are no hideouts. There is no shelter or refuge for the Hamas murderers.
“We will reach and eliminate Hamas and we will bring back our hostages.”
Their daring mission was given the all-clear after a tense stand-off lasting for days amid growing international pressure.
Israel was urged not to start a gunfight in a hospital filled with patients.
But shortly before 9.30pm, the White House said the US had its own intelligence proving al-Shifa and other hospitals were Hamas human shields.
It said independent evidence showed the healthcare facilities were a front for Hamas terror operations.
National security spokesman John Kirby said: “That is a war crime.”
But last night, he was forced to deny the US had given Israel the OK to launch its mission.
And there was no sign of those held captive, including 38 children, as searches of the compound continued into the night.
The long-awaited raid was announced shortly after troops found a mass of weapons beneath the nearby al-Rantisi hospital and signs of hostages.
Natalie Thurtle, deputy medical co-ordinator of charity Doctors Without Borders, said at least 300 patients and staff remained inside al-Shifa hospital.
She said: “We’ve been trying to evacuate them for three days. It’s very perilous and there is no opportunity for people to leave Shifa at the moment.”
The IDF also said it found a Hamas command centre
Israeli troops entered the al Shifa Hospital on Tuesday night
ReutersIsrael claims a Hamas stronghold lay beneath Gaza’s largest hospital[/caption]
GettyMore than 11,000 people in Gaza have been killed by Israeli bombing since October 7[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
