Enlarge image

Smoke rises near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City

Photo: AFP

The Israeli army has been fighting against fighters from the terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Shifa Hospital for more than a week and a half.

According to the army, a high-ranking Hamas member from the Shayet 13 combat swimmer unit was killed on Thursday during the military operation in the city of Gaza. Raad Thabit was one of the top ten of the Islamist organization's military wing, as military spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on Thursday evening; He is said to have been responsible for logistics and supplies for the terrorist group. According to observers, he also belonged to the inner circle of the Hamas boss in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar. Hamas did not initially confirm his death. As a rule, the terrorist organization does not comment on the killing of its leaders and members.

According to Hagari, 900 suspects have been arrested so far during the operation in the largest clinic in the Gaza Strip. At least 513 of them are said to be members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. At the time the clinic was converted, there were still 350 patients and doctors in the hospital. Hagari did not say whether all of them were still there. According to the army, around 200 terrorists were killed in and around the hospital during the operation. The information could not initially be independently verified.

Hamas' information office accused the army of endangering those seeking protection and medical workers in the clinic by bombing them. The military, in turn, accused Hamas of severely damaging the hospital by, among other things, throwing explosive devices during fighting. None of this information could initially be verified.

According to Hagari, the fighting continued elsewhere in the Gaza Strip. Soldiers blew up a 2.5 kilometer long tunnel route there on Thursday night, the army spokesman said.

The war was triggered by Hamas' brutal terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th. The attackers murdered more than 1,140 people in the Israeli border area and abducted 250 others to the coastal strip. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. Given the dire humanitarian situation and the many civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, there is a lot of international criticism of the Israeli military's actions.

dop/dpa