This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68705765#0

The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 7 Version 8
Gaza hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid Gaza's al-Shifa hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid
(32 minutes later)
Watch: Scenes of destruction at al-Shifa hospital in GazaWatch: Scenes of destruction at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza
Watch: Scenes of destruction at al-Shifa hospital in GazaWatch: Scenes of destruction at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza
Israel's military says it has pulled out of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after a two-week military operation that has destroyed much of the hospital complex. Israel's military says it has pulled out of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after a two-week raid that left most of the major medical complex in ruins.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), troops "killed terrorists" and found "numerous weapons and intelligence documents" in the area. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had killed and detained hundreds of "terrorists" and found weapons and intelligence "throughout the hospital".
The raid happened after Israel said it had intelligence indicating Hamas was using the hospital as a base to launch attacks. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said they left behind dozens of bodies. Locals said nearby areas were razed.
Hamas denies using medical sites to carry out military operations. The IDF said it raided al-Shifa because Hamas had regrouped there.
Heavy fighting has been reported around the hospital, the largest in Gaza, in recent weeks. The raid saw intense fighting and Israeli air strikes in nearby buildings and the surrounding area. Wards were attacked because Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives were using them as a base, the IDF said.
In a statement following Monday's withdrawal, the IDF said troops had "completed precise operational activity in the area of the Shifa Hospital and exited the area". Photos taken after the withdrawal showed that al-Shifa's main surgery building, which housed the intensive care unit, and the neighbouring building where the emergency, general surgery and orthopaedics departments were located, had been destroyed.
"The troops killed terrorists in close-quarter encounters, located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital, while preventing harm to civilians, patients and medical teams." The IDF statement said troops had "completed precise operational activity in the area of al-Shifa hospital and exited the area of the hospital". During the raid the IDF was "preventing harm to civilians, patients, and medical teams", it added.
Earlier, Palestinian media reports said dozens of bodies were found in the vicinity of the complex, citing witnesses and the Hamas-run health ministry. A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence service, Mahmoud Basal, was cited by Palestinian media as saying that the IDF "destroyed all departments, buildings and infrastructure" in the complex.
The BBC has not verified those reports. But the World Health Organization (WHO) has said 21 patients have died in al-Shifa in the past two weeks, while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said more than 200 "terrorists" were killed. "It is difficult for us to count the number of martyrs because the [Israeli forces] bulldozed the roads and buried the bodies inside and around the al-Shifa complex," he said.
Palestinians say numerous bodies were found after the IDF withdrew On Sunday evening, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said al-Shifa had become "a terrorist lair" and that more than 200 members of Palestinian armed groups, including senior figures, had been killed in the IDF raid, with others surrendering.
When the raid was first announced, IDF chief spokesman Daniel Hagari said "Hamas terrorists have regrouped inside al-Shifa hospital". Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile said that 21 patients had died since al-Shifa "came under siege". Patients had been moved multiple times and more than 100 patients had been held in an "inadequate building" in the compound lacking support and medical care, he said.
The IDF said then it was launching a "high-precision" operation on the grounds of the hospital and urged displaced civilians sheltering on the grounds to leave immediately. Palestinians say numerous bodies were found after the Israeli forces withdrew
Witnesses reported heavy gunfire and tanks surrounding the facility when the raid began in the early hours of the morning on 18 March. Two weeks ago, it took hundreds of Israeli forces just a few hours to approach and enter the Gaza Strip's largest hospital. That was in marked contrast to their first controversial raid there in November, when it took several weeks for large numbers of tanks and vehicles backed by heavy air strikes to close in on the site.
Al-Shifa was raided earlier in the conflict after Israel said it had evidence that hostages captured during the 7 October attack were taken there. For supporters of the Israeli military this has been evidence of the gains it has made during the war and its tactical success, launching a surprise attack on the enemy to strike it hard. An IDF spokesman previously referred to the operation as "one of the most successful of the war so far" because of the intelligence gleaned as well as numbers killed and detained.
Israel has long accused Hamas of using civilian health infrastructure as a cover to launch its operations, which the Palestinian group refutes. However, some commentators suggest the second al-Shifa raid highlights flaws in Israel's military strategy for the war. They argue that it shows the ease with which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters were able to regroup after Israel pulled its forces out of northern Gaza and the urgent need to come up with a convincing post-war plan to govern the territory.
Much of the area surrounding the hospital has also been destroyed Gaza's hospitals have been a main focus of the current war, with thousands of Palestinians seeking shelter from Israeli bombardment in their grounds and Israeli forces storming the facilities because they say Hamas fighters are present there.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, has described the situation at al-Shifa hospital as a "siege". Israel has long accused Hamas of using civilian health infrastructure as a cover to launch its operations, which the Palestinian group denies.
In a post on X - formerly Twitter - made prior to the troops' withdrawal, he said more than 100 people were still inside al-Shifa struggling with a lack of food, water and medical supplies. Locals say nearby residential areas have been razed
But Mr Netanyahu has reiterated that al-Shifa was a "terrorist lair" and praised the efforts of Israeli soldiers for conducting a "precise and surgical" surprise attack. Mr Netanyahu made his remarks on Sunday night prior to entering surgery to treat a hernia discovered during a routine check-up.
The Israeli PM made his remarks on Sunday night prior to entering surgery to treat a hernia discovered during a routine check-up.
Early on Monday his office said the operation was successful and Mr Netanyahu was "in good shape and beginning to recover".Early on Monday his office said the operation was successful and Mr Netanyahu was "in good shape and beginning to recover".
The surgery took place amid demonstrations held in Jerusalem fuelled by mounting anger over his government's handling of the war in Gaza. Thousands took to the streets demanding more action to free hostages. His operation was carried out as thousands of Israelis joined the latest anti-government protests in Jerusalem.
Around 130 people - at least 34 of whom are presumed dead - are still unaccounted for after Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel. The demonstrators criticised the failure to free the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, and called for new elections.
Mr Netanyahu is under pressure from some in Israeli society who believe there has been insufficient progress in rescuing the remaining hostages inside Gaza. Mr Netanyahu said he was working non-stop to bring the hostages home and that giving into demonstrators' demands would only benefit Hamas.
Also on Sunday, seven journalists - including a freelancer working for the BBC - were injured in an Israeli air strike on the grounds of al-Aqsa hospital targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. About 130 of the hostages remain in captivity, at least 34 of whom are presumed dead.
Anti-Netanyahu protesters bring political splits back on show
Also on Sunday, seven journalists - including a freelancer working for the BBC - were injured in an Israeli air strike on the grounds of al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, which targeted Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters.
The IDF hit a building in the grounds of the hospital which it said PIJ was using as a command centre.The IDF hit a building in the grounds of the hospital which it said PIJ was using as a command centre.
Four members of the PIJ - which is allied with Hamas and participated in the 7 October attack - were killed, the IDF said. Four members of PIJ - which is allied with Hamas and participated in the 7 October attacks - were killed, the IDF said.
More than 32,700 Palestinians have been killed and 75,000 injured in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says 70% of those killed were women and children.
The war has also left Palestinians in Gaza facing severe hunger. A recent UN-backed assessment warned that a famine in Gaza was imminent, prompting the UN's top court last week to order Israel to enable an immediate "unhindered" flow of aid.
Gazans watch the skies to spot planes dropping aid
Why are Israel and Hamas fighting in Gaza?
Related TopicsRelated Topics
Middle EastMiddle East
Israel-Gaza warIsrael-Gaza war
IsraelIsrael
Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin Netanyahu