The Israeli government’s evidence fails to prove that al-Shifa hospital in Gaza was a command center for Hamas, according to a Thursday investigative report by The Washington Post that analyzed open-source graphics, satellite images, and publicly disclosed materials from the Israel Defense Forces. Rooms connected to the tunnels found by the IDF “showed no immediate evidence of military use by Hamas,” the newspaper said. The review also challenged statements from IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari, who pointed to five buildings allegedly used by Hamas at the hospital in an Oct. 27 press briefing, finding that none of the structures were connected to the tunnel network. Even after the November raid of the hospital, Israeli and U.S. officials have stuck by their claims, with one telling the Post last week that they were “absolutely confident” with their intelligence and that “Hamas had been holding the hostages in the hospital compound until shortly before Israel went in.”
