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- The discoveries follow criticism that IDF’s search showed no signs of the tunnels
- READ: Israeli troops show ‘concrete’ evidence of Al Shifa hospital as Hamas base
Israel’s Defence Forces claimed they have discovered entrances to Hamas tunnels and a booby-trapped vehicle around Gaza’s AI-Shifa hospital.
It comes hours after the body of Hamas hostage Yehudit Weiss, 64, was recovered in a building near the hospital, with Israel’s Defence Forces claiming she was ‘murdered by terrorists’.
Tonight’s discoveries follow criticism that the IDF’s search showed no signs of the tunnels or a sophisticated command centre that many believed would be discovered underneath the facility.
On Wednesday the IDF revealed evidence of weaponry which it said proved the hospital was a terrorist base, with spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus showing a duffel bag containing an AK47 assault rifle, grenades and ammunition.
Now Hamas’s tunneling infrastructure has been exposed inside the hospital – as well as a booby-trapped vehicle that was prepared for the October 7 massacre, containing a large amount of weapons.
IDF troops belonging to the Shaldag Unit, the 7th Brigade, and additional special units are continuing to conduct targeted activity in the Shifa Hospital.
Hamas’s tunneling infrastructure has been exposed around Gaza’s AI-Shifa hospital
The body of Yehudit Weiss, 64, (pictured) who was taken captive by Hamas at Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas killing spree, has been found
Weiss was ‘murdered by terrorists’, the IDF said
The IDF revealed evidence of weaponry which it said proved the hospital was a terrorist base
Hamas hostage Ms Weiss was taken captive by Hamas at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 during their killing spree.
Her husband Shmulik Weiss was found murdered in their safe room.
Troops of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 603rd Battalion found the body, along with Hamas military equipment – including assault rifles and RPGs in a building ‘adjacent to Shifa Hospital’, according to the IDF.
The body was brought back to Israel for identification, after which the military and police notified Ms Weiss’s family of her death.
Israeli officials say around 240 people were taken hostage during the Hamas attacks which killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
The IDF did not provide further details on Ms Weiss’s cause of death, or when she was killed. It is believed she was undergoing treatment for cancer when she was seized by the terrorists.
‘The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the family,’ it said in a statement. ‘The national mission… is to locate the missing and return the hostages home.’
‘The IDF is operating alongside and in full coordination with the relevant national and security institutions in order to pursue these tasks. We will not cease from the mission until it will be completed,’ the IDF added.
IDF troops belonging to the Shaldag Unit, the 7th Brigade, and additional special units continue are continuing to conduct targeted activity in the Shifa Hospital
Israel’s Defence Forces said they have discovered entrances to Hamas tunnels
Footage captured the tunnels, which are surrounded by debris
Ms Weiss’s husband Shmulik Weiss was found murdered in the safe room
An Israeli soldier takes part in an operation in a location given as the Port of Gaza
Israeli soldiers create a silhouette on the skyline as they take part in an operation in Gaza
Israel’s Defence Forces previously suggested it could take ‘a few weeks’ to uncover ‘the extent’ of Hamas’s command centre beneath Al-Shifa hospital, as hundreds of commandos continue to search through every building and floor of the complex.
Footage ‘relating to hostages seized by Hamas’ was found on computers at the hospital, the IDF has said, as well as a cache of weapons belonging to the terrorists.
The United Nations is now desperately looking into how it could evacuate the hospital, which is the biggest in the Gaza Strip, but says its options are limited by security and logistical constraints, a senior World Health Organization official said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian telecoms provider Paltel said a lack of fuel means all communications services are down across the besieged enclave, which has been subject to a blockade and relentless bombing campaign by Israel for weeks.
An Israeli official said earlier today that the mission ‘is shaped by our understanding that there is well-hidden terrorist infrastructure in the complex’.
‘During the searches, information and footage pertaining to the hostages abducted from Israel were found on computers and other technological equipment,’ an official also said.
An Israeli soldier contributes in an operation in a location given as the Port of Gaza amid the ongoing conflict
IDF troops belonging to the Shaldag Unit, the 7th Brigade, are continuing to conduct targeted activity in the Shifa Hospital
Israeli soldiers carrying out operations inside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City in a picture released by the IDF
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Conricus shows weapons and equipment which he says were found at Al Shifa hospital complex
The IDF previously shared what it called an ‘intelligence-based illustration’ of what the alleged command centre under the hospital might look like
Ms Weiss was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7 near the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City
A laptop the IDF says was found in Shifa Hospital on November 16, 2023, with an image of rescued hostage Pvt. Ori Megidish which was taken before her abduction
Weapons and equipment which Israel’s army says were found at Al Shifa hospital complex
Weapons and equipment which Israel’s army says were found at Al Shifa hospital complex
Inside a cabinet for medical equipment was another holdall containing a knife, a Hamas emblem, AK47 and ammunition, according to the spokesman
In this image taken from a video released by the Israeli Defence Forces, on Wednesday, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, holds up a bullet proof vest with a Hamas insignia that was found along with weapons the IDF says were found in a medical closet at the MRI center at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City
Israeli soldiers walk at the Al Shifa hospital complex, amid their ground operation against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas
The IDF shared a picture of a laptop it said its forces found in the hospital showing a publicly-available image of rescued Israeli hostage Pvt. Ori Megidish, which was taken before her abduction.
An official said equipment found in the hospital had been taken for ‘further examination and investigation.’
After storming the medical facility, the IDF shared evidence of weaponry, with spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus showing a duffel bag hidden behind a hospital MRI machine containing an AK47 assault rifle, grenades, ammunition and a uniform.
He also said a backpack contained ‘what appeared to be very important intelligence including a laptop’, and added that security cameras in one part of the hospital had been taped over.
Behind another MRI machine more weapons were said to have been found and in an adjoining room on top of another MRI scanner was a bag containing ‘full military kit for one terrorist, including ammunition, a live grenade and AK47 and body armour’.
‘These weapons have no business being in a hospital,’ Conricus said as he toured the hospital in a clip released by the IDF.
Inside a cabinet for medical equipment was another holder containing a knife, a Hamas emblem, AK47 and ammunition, according to the spokesman.
News of the IDF hospital raid came around 2am local time on Wednesday.
Doctors said they were given 30 minutes’ notice of the Israeli operation before at least six battle tanks moved in on the complex. Troops entered the hospital a short time afterwards.