IDF forces left Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital on Monday, after two weeks of extensive operation in the large medical complex which concluded with the elimination of 200 terrorists and the arrest of 913 terror suspects, 500 of them terrorists including senior figures and commanders.
The military now estimates that Hamas will likely be deterred from using the hospital as a terror hotbed or command center again. Numerous military intelligence reports related to Israeli hostages were found in the hospital, alongside new footage of atrocities from October 7, likely filmed by the terrorists themselves to document their actions.
According to the IDF, the operation's results will aid the issue of returning Israeli hostages and missing persons, particularly in the Israeli negotiations regarding a hostage deal. About 6,200 patients and medical staff were in the hospital when the operation began. Among them were nearly 1,000 terrorists from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas who barricaded themselves in various departments, and established a command center in the northern Strip.
Three IDF soldiers were killed in the operation - Staff Sergeant Matan Vinogradov, Warrant Officer (res.) Sebastian Haion, and Staff Sergeant Lior Raviv; another eight were injured during the battles in the hospital.
While battling the terrorists in the hospital, the soldiers evacuated thousands of hospitalized individuals to alternative wards set up by the IDF to allow for their continued care while the operation in the medical complex continued.
The military doesn’t rule out the possibility that several terrorists remain in the hospital, but noted the operation had achieved its objective. "To our knowledge, no hospitalized individuals or medical staff were harmed in the operation, which was precise and worked to distinguish between terrorists and civilians.
“Our directive was to prioritize capturing terrorists alive, due to their significant knowledge and military intelligence extracted during their investigations. Therefore, we urged them to surrender on the first days of the operation," the military said in a statement.
However, the IDF noted that "faced with the risk of security of our forces, we open fire to eliminate terrorists when a threat was detected. The operation began with forces circling the hospital before additional forces arrived and engaged with terrorists in the area.”
Soldiers from the 162nd Division who participated in the operation noted, "There are still terrorists in the northern part of the Strip, so there’s still work to be done. During the operation in Al Shifa, terrorists fired mortar shells and anti-tank missiles at the forces."
Footage of the hospital was released after the operation was concluded, in which crowds of Gazans were seen returning to the complex. The Palestinian Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, said that dozens of bodies were found on the premises.
"The military withdrew from Al Shifa after having burned buildings and made them unusable. The damage to the complex is significant," the terror organization claimed.