This is what Al Shifa Hospital looked like when IDF troops left the area
A fortnight after the surprise incursion into Al Shifa hospital, which succeeded in eliminating senior terror officials from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad and the apprehension of numerous terrorists, the IDF has now vacated the premises of the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip.
This development was confirmed on Monday by the IDF spokesperson, in response to overnight reports from Palestinian sources. Visuals from the scene show hundreds of Gaza residents walking amid the wreckage and partially charred buildings.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health, which is under Hamas control, reported that IDF tanks and other vehicles have retreated from the hospital compound in Gaza. They claim that scores of bodies were discovered on-site. "The military has withdrawn from Al Shifa after setting fire to and fully decommissioning buildings within the compound. The inflicted damage is substantial," according to Hamas.
Upon the conclusion of the widespread operation, with hundreds of soldiers retreating from the medical compound, the IDF said in a statement on Monday morning that "IDF and Shin Bet troops have completed precise operational activity in the area of Al Shifa Hospital and exited the area of the hospital. The troops killed terrorists in close-quarters encounters, located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital, while preventing harm to civilians, patients and medical teams."
Hamas' Al-Aqsa channel alleges that the IDF resorted to gunfire during their withdrawal. Hamas cautioned the northern Strip's residents "against hastily returning to the Al Shifa Hospital due to the potential risk of traps and snipers in the region. Initially, only authorized bodies will conduct an examination; it is crucial to adhere to instructions."
Medical professionals in Gaza informed Hamas Radio that: "Buildings within the Al Shifa compound have been incinerated and are entirely out of operation," and further added that "the scale of devastation within and around the compound is immense."
The raid resulted in the deaths of over 200 terrorists within the hospital area, including some high-ranking officials, and hundreds more were arresteded. On Sunday, the IDF revealed that an extensive cache of weapons was discovered by Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion forces in the hospital's maternity ward, concealed within patient beds and pillows, and within the compound's ceilings and walls.
Among the weapons found in the compound were, dozens of mortar bombs, improvised explosive devices, sniper weapons, Kalashnikovs, pistols, chargers, cartridges and mortars. In one of the searches they carried out, the forces encountered armed terrorists and senior Hamas officials in the stairwell, and eliminated them after a chase.
Lt. Col. Dotan, commander of Battalion 931 in the Nahal Brigade which left Al Shifa at the end of the operation, told Ynet that the raid was an "impressive, very challenging operation. The encirclement of the compound from the outside as well as inside the hospital, very selective and thorough work and in the end we managed to get all the terrorists out of the compound in an orderly manner. Some of them, those who tried to confront us were eliminated along the way, and this is the process that happened in the last two weeks."
He described how the soldiers were able to move the sick patients and other civilians out of the way during the first week, and then get down to the business of capturing the terrorists and uncovering weapons caches in the second week.
"The place was called Al Shifa Hospital, but the way it is conducted inside is certainly not the management of a hospital," the commander said.
On March 18, the IDF unexpectedly raided the hospital in a targeted operation following intelligence information about the presence of senior Hamas officials in the area.