The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Sunday (local time) released surveillance footage from Gaza's largest hospital that it claims to show Hamas militants bringing two foreign hostages - a Nepali and Thai citizen - captured during the Hamas attack on October 7 to the medical centre.
The Israeli military said that one of the hostages was visibly injured and was carried on a hospital bed while the other person was walking. The IDF also shared new footage of the underground network of tunnels and bunkers beneath the hospital, as its military operation in the facility continues.
"These findings prove that the Hamas terrorist organization used the Shifa Hospital complex on the day of the October 7 Massacre as terrorist infrastructure," said the Israeli military on social media platform X.
The hostages featured in the video are among the roughly 240 people captured by Hamas militants during their unprecedented attack on October 7, which killed over 1,200 people. In response, Israel declared war aon Hamas and launched an aerial and grounded offensive in Gaza.
New information of deceased Israeli female soldier
The military also claimed that the 19-year-old Israeli female soldier Noa Marciano was killed there. According to IDF, her body was found and extracted by troops adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
"On November 9, CPL Noa Marciano was injured from an IAF strike and the terrorist holding her hostage was neutralized. Following a preliminary pathological report, it was revealed that Noa’s injury was not life-threatening. Noa was murdered by a Hamas terrorist in the Shifa Hospital," said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
Hamas had earlier released a hostage video late Monday showing Marciano identifying herself. In a statement likely given under duress, she said Israeli strikes were hitting near where she was being held and called on Israel to halt them.
Israel's military operation in al-Shifa hospital
Israel has been under pressure to prove its claims that Hamas had a major operations command centre in and beneath the facility and used the patients to provide cover for terrorists. These claims were denied by Hamas and the hospital staff.
At least 30 premature babies were evacuated from Gaza’s main hospital on Sunday and will be transferred to facilities in Egypt, the territory’s Health Ministry said, as scores of other critically wounded patients remained stranded there days after Israeli forces entered the compound.
The fate of the newborns at Shifa Hospital captured global attention after the release of images showing doctors trying to keep them warm. A power blackout had shut down incubators and other equipment, and food, water and medical supplies ran out as Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants outside the hospital.
Underscoring the perils of movement inside the coastal enclave, Doctors Without Borders said a convoy of clearly marked vehicles carrying staff and their families was fired upon in Gaza City on Saturday. A relative of a staff member was killed and another person was injured, the aid group said.
About 2,500 displaced people, mobile patients and medical staff left al-Shifa Hospital on Saturday morning, the WHO said. It said 25 medical staff remained, along with the patients. “Patients and health staff with whom they spoke were terrified for their safety and health, and pleaded for evacuation,” the agency said, describing al-Shifa as a death zone.
(with inputs from agencies)
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