Politics

Israel targets Jihad’s command center in Gaza’s hospital compound

The Israeli army said Sunday it fired on the command center of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization, located in the courtyard of a hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Associated Press (AP) reports that two people were killed and 15 wounded in the attack.

At the time of the strike, the command center at al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital was occupied by operatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad; the attack was carried out “after lengthy preparations” and “in a precise manner to minimize casualties among civilians in the area of the hospital,” conveyed the army in a statement.

The hospital was not damaged, it assured.

“The presence of the [Palestinian Islamic Jihad- TVP World] command and the terrorists who operated in the hospital courtyard is further evidence of the systematic use of humanitarian and medical infrastructure by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to conceal their activities,” the military added.

The AP news agency reported that two people were killed in the attack and some 15, including journalists who were nearby, were wounded. Since March 18, fighting between Israeli forces and the terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad has also continued in the Al-Shifa Hospital area of Gaza City. On Sunday, the Israeli military reported that a large number of weapons were found in the maternity ward there; rifles, explosives and pistols were said to be hidden in suspended ceilings and pillows, among other things. Two senior Hamas commanders were killed in the fighting at the ward, the I24 news portal reported.

Israel has long claimed that hospitals in the Gaza Strip are being used as bases by Hamas and other terrorist groups, and has published videos and photos to prove it. Hamas and medical personnel deny it.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 32,700 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict since the outbreak of the Gaza war. It is unclear what proportion of this group was made up of terrorists killed in the fighting.
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