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Under the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-11-14
What is under the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City ? Hamas’ military facilities, or only dirt ? Is Hamas using the Al Shifa Hospital for military purposes ? The answer to these questions will go a long way to resolving the raging debate over Israel’s actions at the Gaza City hospitals.
This diary tries to present arguments and evidence both for and against Hamas’ military facilities being under the Al Shifa Hospital, and Hamas using this hospital for military purposes.
This diary lets you decide these questions for yourself. There is a poll at the end to record your decision, or your confusion.
ISRAEL’S MILITARY ACTIONS to DATE
Map of Israel’s Ground Attack into Gaza, October to November 12, 2023. The red marker is the Al-Shifa Hospital.
Israel has taken an unconventional approach to attacking Gaza City. Instead of advancing from the east and north along the borders, the Israeli Army, or IDF (Israel Defense Forces), first cut off Gaza City in the south by driving northwest from Israel to the sea, as shown on the map to the right. They also advanced across the northern border. Then, the southern forces turned right and drove up along the coast, while the northern forces drove down the coast. They met close to the Al Shifa Hospital. They then turned east, and advanced on this hospital and the surrounding area, which contains other hospitals.
Why would the IDF take this unconventional approach ? At least two answers can be given. First, the IDF knows, or believes, that Hamas’ military headquarters and other facilities are located in this hospital complex, and more specifically under the Al Shifa hospital. Based upon this knowledge or belief, the IDF wants to reach and destroy these headquarters as quickly as possible.
Second, the IDF may have determined that this path is the one of least resistance, as Hamas would expect a more conventional attack from the east and north. However, attacking thru a hospital complex is not the path of least resistance, and the IDF should know that attacking into a hospital complex is risking international outrage.
Another way of looking at the situation is from Hamas’ point of view. Where is the best place to locate their military headquarters and facilities in Gaza City ? It should be in the place that is hardest for Israel to reach and fight in. This means it should be away from the borders, in a dense urban area, and preferably in an area where civilian casualties can be least tolerated by Israel’s allies. An area of hospitals meets these criteria.
Please note that these criteria doesn’t mean that Hamas has to have their headquarters and facilities in a hospital, or under one, as this endangers the patients in the hospital. But, if Hamas isn’t concerned about these patients, then putting their headquarters and facilities in and under a hospital is a very good location. It also gives them excellent access to medical care for injured fighters.
SHIFA UNDERGROUND
Israel showed their diagram of what is under the Al Shifa Hospital on October 27, and is below. The most important area is the Command and Control Center, or Headquarters, which is where the attack that damaged a car occurred. There are 4 areas identified as “Underground Complexes,” which is a lot of facilities.
IDF Map of Hamas Military Facilities Under the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. At the lower left is the Headquarters, which the IDF calls the Command and Control Center (which is what a headquarters does). The other 4 underground areas are called “Underground Complexes.” The yellow C in the middle is where the damaged car was parked when a flying object struck it on November 10, 2023. It is just outside the headquarters building.
Israel also released an audio recording of a conversation between a Senior Energy Official in Gaza and an IDF officer to support their claim of military use of the hospital. They released another audio recording between two Arabic speakers which said that the headquarters of Hamas’ Al-Qassam brigades are under the Al-Shifa Hospital. Finally, they released a somewhat fanciful cross-section of the Hamas military complex (although not to scale if one reads the locations shown on the top line). The headline picture is taken from this cross-section.
Hamas’ response has been to deny that they have any military facilities in or under the Al Shifa Hospital. Hamas has not produced any evidence or support for their claim, although this is hard to do if there is indeed nothing there.
The hospital was built with a large underground infrastructure in 1980, which the IDF claimed as early as 2014 was part of Hamas’ underground headquarters. If Hamas wanted to disprove this, they could have invited independent experts or Israel in to inspect this infrastructure. But, Hamas may have figured it was better to let Israel believe that they had military facilities underground. That way, the IDF would divert forces into attacking the hospitals, thereby having Israel expend resources on a fruitless attack while earning international condemnation for attacking a hospital. The downside to this approach is a callous disregard for the patients by putting them in harms way.
INTERNATIONAL LAW
There is a very important question related to what is under the Al Shifa, and other Gaza hospitals. Is Israel breaking international law by their military actions at these hospitals?
Under International law, it is a crime to attack a hospital, unless the hospital is being used for military purposes. These military purposes are defined as an "act harmful to the enemy.” Unfortunately this phrase is undefined, leaving a very large latitude for interpretation. Certainly qualifying as “acts harmful to the enemy” are using hospitals for military headquarters, manufacturing and/or storage of weapons in hospitals, military quarters in hospitals, and firing weapons from hospitals.
Israel tried to provide proof of military purposes on October 27. Among other things, they showed where Hamas has their headquarters under the Al Shifa Hospital. Whether they succeeded with their “proof” then, or at another time, is up to a Judge, and You, to decide.
John Kirby, the spokesman for the White House National Security Council said today, (Nov. 14) “Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, PIJ, members operate a command-and-control node from al-Shifa in Gaza City. They have stored weapons there and they are prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against that facility.” Per CNN, “Kirby cited a “variety” of intelligence sourcing to back up the assertion al-Shifa is being used by Hamas, though wouldn’t provide further details.”
SUMMARY
If what Israel and the United States are claiming is halfway true, then we can understand why Israel is so concerned with evacuating and capturing the Al Shifa Hospital. And, we can understand why Hamas is expressing so much concern over this one hospital, to the neglect of all the other hospitals in Gaza, including the ones in Southern Gaza, which should be in the same desperate condition with no power due to lack of fuel.
But, Israel’s IDF may simply not want to leave anything uncaptured as they advance into Gaza City for fear of it becoming a base in their rear. And Hamas is expressing so much concern because they are desperate to get a ceasefire so they aren’t destroyed in Gaza City. In this case, there doesn’t have to be anything underneath the hospital, nor any military use of the hospital.
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