Islamic Jihad Terrorist Confirms Terror Groups’ Use of Shifa Hospital

By Yoni Weiss

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist has disclosed the use of Shifa Hospital by terror groups for planning attacks, as Israeli forces persist in their operations.

Israeli military personnel continued their campaign against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists entrenched in Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital and in Khan Yunis, the IDF reported on Wednesday morning.

In the past 24 hours, soldiers have neutralized terrorists and uncovered terrorist infrastructure and weaponry within the hospital premises. Since penetrating the compound on March 18, Israel has eliminated more than 180 terrorists and apprehended 800 individuals suspected of terrorism. Of these, at least 500 have been identified as affiliated with either Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Israeli forces revisited Gaza’s largest hospital after receiving intelligence indicating the presence of senior Hamas terrorists orchestrating attacks within the compound.

On Tuesday, the IDF released footage of an interrogation with a Palestinian Islamic Jihad member confirming the use of hospitals by Hamas and PIJ for planning and executing attacks.

Nabeel Rajab Abed Shteiwi, who claimed involvement in PIJ’s missile production since 2012, stated, “Shifa, as well as schools and similar locations, serve as our refuge.” Shteiwi revealed that he had resided in Shifa for three months.

When questioned about the whereabouts of PIJ’s headquarters within Shifa, Shteiwi replied, “PIJ does not maintain specific headquarters. They are dispersed throughout all the buildings.”

He highlighted the use of Shifa’s “Specialist Building” by many Hamas terrorists but emphasized that they also occupy other structures. “You might encounter individuals dressed as nurses who do not appear to be nurses,” Shteiwi remarked.

In Khan Yunis’s Al Amal neighborhood, troops, in collaboration with the Air Force, eliminated several militants. A targeted raid on terrorist infrastructure led to the discovery and confiscation of weapons, including launchers, AK-47 rifles, and grenades.

In the preceding day, Israeli aircraft targeted numerous armed Hamas militants, tunnel entrances, military installations, and other Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip. During one such operation, a terrorist was identified near IDF troops in central Gaza and promptly neutralized by an aircraft.