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The director of Kamal Adwan hospital in Jabaliya, Gaza, admitted in a Shin Bet interrogation that the hospital was transformed into a military facility under Hamas’s control, including housing a kidnapped soldier. Ahmed Kahlot, the hospital director and a Hamas lieutenant colonel since 2010, revealed that 16 hospital staff members, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, were Hamas operatives. Additionally, members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades were employed in the hospital.
Israeli forces confirmed entering the hospital on December 12, detaining 90 operatives and seizing weapons. Some of those captured were linked to the October 7 massacres in southern Israel. Kahlot disclosed that Hamas leaders had offices inside the hospital, and a kidnapped soldier was brought there. He emphasized that Hamas believed hospitals were safe havens.
Hamas also operated private ambulances, distinct from regular medical ambulances, and refused medical transport for wounded individuals if it conflicted with their mission. Kahlot criticized Hamas leaders as “cowards” for hiding while the conflict unfolded.
Israel has long claimed that Hamas uses Gaza hospitals for military purposes, and recent IDF operations uncovered an explosive device in a health clinic in Gaza City and weapons in Shejaiya. The Navy targeted buildings and vessels used by Hamas along the coast. Three soldiers were reported killed, bringing the total to 132 since the ground operation began in late October.
In ongoing operations, the IDF located weapons caches and manufacturing plants in northern Gaza, ambushing and killing dozens of Hamas operatives. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported over 19,600 casualties, with unclear differentiation between civilians and combatants.
Reports on Tuesday suggested Israeli airstrikes in Rafah caused civilian casualties. The IDF did not confirm specific strikes but stated that one targeted a top Hamas money launderer, Subhi Farwanah, who transferred tens of millions of dollars to Hamas, essential for its military wing’s ability to fight. Farwanah and his brother operated a currency exchange store, receiving funds from Iran and other countries for Hamas.
While casualties are reported, the information remains unverified, and the IDF’s actions and statements contribute to the ongoing complexities of the conflict.
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