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Plumes of smoke after Israeli bombardment near Shifa Hospital on March 21, 2024
Photo: AFP
The Israeli military has withdrawn from Gaza's main hospital after a two-week raid, leaving a large swath of destruction in its wake, according to Palestinian residents.
Hundreds of people returned to Shifa Hospital and its surrounding areas after the withdrawal early Monday, where they found bodies inside and outside the facility.
Dozens of bodies found in Shifa hospital
On Monday morning, the Israeli army apparently withdrew tanks from the Shifa Hospital complex in the Gaza Strip. A journalist from the AFP news agency observed tanks and vehicles leaving the area on Monday morning. The Israeli army did not initially confirm the withdrawal of tanks.
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, also said Israel had withdrawn tanks and vehicles. Dozens of bodies were found in and at Shifa Hospital. There is very large property damage. A doctor told AFP more than 20 bodies had been recovered. Some of them were run over by departing vehicles.
Israel says it has "eliminated about 200 terrorists"
On March 18, the Israeli army launched a major operation in the Shifa Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip, the largest clinic in the coastal region. According to Israeli information, the operation was directed against high-ranking Hamas members in the complex in the city of Gaza, and "around 200 terrorists were eliminated" in the area.
The Israeli military called the raid one of the most successful operations in the nearly six-month war, killing scores of Hamas terrorists and other militants and seizing valuable information.
Israel accuses Hamas of setting up a command center in the clinic
Published recordings showed weapons and money seized in the hospital complex that were used by Hamas and the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad. Israel accuses Hamas of setting up a command center on the site of the clinic. The US government agreed with this assessment in November.
The Israeli armed forces had already carried out an operation in the Shifa clinic in November, causing international criticism. Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields and civilian facilities such as hospitals and schools for its infrastructure, including as command centers and weapons depots. Hamas denies this.
aka/AFP/AP