The Israeli navy sought on Wednesday to bolster its assertions that Hamas makes use of tunnels beneath Gaza’s largest hospital, releasing a sequence of movies that it mentioned confirmed “dozens of meters of a tunnel system” beneath the complicated of Al-Shifa Hospital.
Israeli and American officers have mentioned that Hamas makes use of hospitals to supply cowl for its navy operations, accusations that Hamas and hospital directors have denied. Israel, below growing worldwide strain to show these claims, has launched a number of movies to press its case, displaying components of its cautious exploration of underground constructions the navy identifies as Hamas tunnels. The movies to date — together with these launched on Wednesday — haven’t proven conclusive proof of an enormous community of tunnels.
One video launched this month included a navy spokesman displaying weapons that he mentioned had been discovered at Al-Shifa. One other confirmed a piece of a tunnel that The New York Instances verified was recorded at Al-Shifa.
That tunnel resembled the one seen in a video launched on Wednesday. In that video, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the Israeli navy, is proven holding a flashlight as he and a gaggle of troopers traverse a tunnel with an arched ceiling that he describes as being beneath Al-Shifa’s complicated.
The movies launched on Wednesday additionally present at the very least two bogs, a small alcove with a sink and a room with uncovered wiring. Admiral Hagari says within the video that the room, and {an electrical} panel in one other a part of the tunnel, are linked to electrical energy sourced via the hospital.
Within the video, the admiral additionally exhibits a room that he referred to as a “hideout,” with two cots and a wall-mounted air-conditioning unit that he says is linked to an engine exterior a hospital constructing.
The Israeli navy mentioned that Hamas had probably emptied the rooms as Israeli forces superior. Admiral Hagari says within the video that Hamas tried to seal and destroy parts of the tunnel forward of the navy’s arrival.
In one other video launched on Wednesday, Admiral Hagari enters a house that he says is close to Al-Shifa’s complicated and served as a classroom. Inside the home, which has a chalkboard with English writing on it, Admiral Hagari exhibits an entrance right into a tunnel that he says linked to tunnels below Al-Shifa.
Aric Toler and Malachy Browne contributed reporting.