Why Israeli forces are raiding Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital – again
CNN
Israeli forces last week launched another military operation on Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, bringing the sprawling medical facility north of the enclave back into the spotlight.
Israeli forces last week launched another military operation on Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, bringing the sprawling medical facility north of the enclave back into the spotlight. Now in its 11th day, the operation is the second of its kind at the hospital, which sits in the western part of northern Gaza City. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) first raided Al-Shifa in November, an operation in which the facility’s main building was heavily damaged and effectively ceased to function. The raid also comes despite the IDF in January claiming it had completed dismantling Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza. While the IDF said civilians, patients, and medical teams were evacuated during the operation, Palestinians inside Al-Shifa and around it have reported civilian casualties and arrests, as well as large-scale destruction at the complex. Heavy fighting around the hospital has also been reported by Israel, Hamas and civilians, with United Nations officials saying hospitals must not be battlegrounds. Here’s what we know:
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