Captured Hamas intelligence officer says Shifa Hospital used as terror center - ‘It was a safe place’
Officer’s interview supports IDF claims that Hamas used Shifa Hospital as terror operations base
The IDF apprehended hundreds of terrorists during its approximately two-week operation in Al Shifa Hospital.
This includes the Deputy Commander of the Rocket Unit in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, commanders in the Hamas military wing, and senior operatives in the Ministry of Internal Security and Hamas' Emergency Committees. The detained suspects were transferred for interrogation by the Israel Security Agency (ISA) – also known as Shin Bet – and Unit 504 of the Military Intelligence Directorate.
Among the apprehended was Ashraf Ibrahim Samour (Abu Ahmad), deputy head of Hamas' military intelligence information department.
These interrogations have provided valuable information for the fight against Hamas.
Samour said the hospital was used extensively by many terror groups and branches of Hamas, including intelligence.
The IDF released a video showing part of Samour's interrogation where he discusses why the terror groups decided to use the hospital.
"Military intelligence units operated from Shifa. The Interior Ministry, the emergency committees and the Hamas government also worked from there. It's a safe place,” Samour told the interrogator.
“Why did you work from Shifa?” the interrogator asked.
“Because it provides the logistics,” Abu Ahmad replied, “meaning, everything connected to water, electricity, and computer rooms, and also everything connected to security.
“What does that mean?” the interrogator asked.
“It provides security,” Abu Ahmad replied.
The IDF also released names and photos of additional senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commanders captured in the Al Shifa operation.
Samour, who joined Hamas in 2007, said Hamas forces returned to Al Shifa two days after the IDF withdrew from the hospital.
His admission that multiple groups have been using the hospital as a base of operations supports the IDF claim that the hospital had become a command and control center for Hamas, thus losing its protected status according to the rules of war.
The IDF's detention of Hamas operatives following intense combat marks one of the most significant captures since the war began. Furthermore, the hope is that detaining several high-ranking officers could provide crucial intelligence about the location of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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