The Israeli military said today it had “credible intelligence” that Hamas had taken hostages at Gaza’s Khan Younis Nasser Hospital, the center of the war and a stronghold of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar .
Nasser Hospital, one of the largest medical facilities in southern Gaza, has been the scene of fierce fighting for weeks.
IDF spokesman Gen. Daniel Hagari said “precise and limited operations” were being carried out at Al-Nasser Hospital, stressing that the hospital would continue to fulfill its important function of treating Gaza patients as they would not be forcibly evacuated.
“We have credible information from multiple sources, including released hostages, that Hamas is holding hostages at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and that there may be bodies of our hostages in the Nasser Hospital facility,” the spokesman said. Adding that “Hamas terrorists are now most likely hiding behind wounded civilians in Al-Nasser Hospital and appear to be using the hospital to hide our hostages”.
We have credible intelligence that Hamas is holding hostages at Al-Nasser Hospital.
“Since the Hamas massacre on October 7, the IDF has been fulfilling its mission to disrupt Hamas and bring our hostages home.” pic.twitter.com/5gzcbH6Vzc
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 15, 2024
“We emphasize that there is no obligation for patients or staff to evacuate the hospital,” the military added.
The military said it had been urging Gazans in Arabic by phone and loudspeaker to evacuate hospitals, adding that it had established humanitarian corridors for that purpose.
“We seek to hunt down Hamas terrorists wherever they hide,” the military said.
Hamas militants took about 250 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack, and during a week-long truce in November they released dozens more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
