Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, located in the affluent Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, has come to symbolize the callousness of the Hamas terror group regarding the lives of the civilian population under their control. Since 2014, Israel has been reporting that Hamas is using the hospital as its main base of operations. Amnesty International reported in 2014 that Hamas was using an outpatient clinic at the hospital to interrogate, torture, and kill Arabs accused of collaborating with Israel. And over the past few weeks, since the October 7 massacre, Israeli intelligence has reported in great detail, based on interrogations of captured Hamas terrorists, the Hamas military activity in huge tunnels and halls dug underneath the hospital.
On Thursday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a press release saying, “The terrorists located in the basements of Shifa hospital tonight can hear the thundering sound of our tanks and bulldozers. They hear it underground, they hear it, and tremble with fear.”
Gallant added that “The IDF has also begun employing new methods, to reach these terrorists who are located in tunnels, as well as to eliminate the tunnels. This will continue and improve in the coming days. Our forces are working to find unique solutions for these missions, they are working and succeeding. I repeat – we will reach every person who has acted against the citizens of Israel – anyone who kidnapped and harmed women and children. We will get to them all, whether it takes a week, a month, a year, and if necessary even years. We will not let anyone go, we will eliminate all the terrorists, they have no place under the sun.”
The DM shared: “Today I met the reservists in Division 252, I met them and I was impressed. I have seen thousands of soldiers whose only interest is defeating Hamas. They told me – ‘we will stay here for a month, we will stay here for a year, we will do whatever it takes to achieve victory.’ These people left their homes, left their families, left their businesses, left their workplaces. Everyone understands the meaning of this war, but they say, we will not stop and we will not let up.”
פעילות לוחמי ההנדסה בתוך צוותי הקרב הלוחמים בעזה, כוללת השמדת אמצעי לחימה של האויב, איתור, חשיפה ופיצוץ פירי מנהרות. עם הרחבת הפעולה הקרקעית ברצועת עזה, מסכלים הלוחמים את תשתיות הטרור של החמאס >> pic.twitter.com/2C8mAAAVOD
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 8, 2023
He then picked up an old bone of contention in debates inside Israel’s security apparatus: “If anyone previously did not understand why reserve forces were necessary, they understand it well today. I think at the end of 2023 there will not be a single person in the State of Israel who will not understand why reserve forces are necessary. Everyone understands their importance – I salute the reservists, I also salute our defense industries and everyone who supports the defense establishment and its activities.”
