Gaza hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid

 View: Devastating sights at the Gaza hospital al-Shifa

After a two-week military offensive that left much of the hospital complex devastated, the Israeli military has announced that it has left the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Troops "killed terrorists" and discovered "numerous weapons and intelligence documents" in the region, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Following Israel's announcement that it had information suggesting Hamas was utilizing the hospital as a base of operations for strikes, the raid took place.

Hamas disputes that it conducts military operations at medical facilities.

The main hospital in Gaza has been the scene of heavy combat in recent weeks, according to reports.

The IDF claimed in a statement that soldiers had "completed precise operational activity in the area of the Shifa Hospital and exited the area" after the retreat on Monday.

"The troops killed terrorists in close-quarter encounters, located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital, while preventing harm to civilians, patients and medical teams."

Earlier, the Hamas-run health ministry and witnesses were cited in stories by Palestinian media that claimed to have discovered scores of dead close to the compound.

The reports have not been confirmed by the BBC. Yet according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 21 people have passed away. 

Palestinians claim that many bodies were discovered following the IDF's withdrawal. Reuters Palestinians carry a dead body at Shifa

IDF Chief Spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that "Hamas terrorists have regrouped inside al-Shifa hospital" when the raid was initially made public.

At that time, the IDF announced that it was beginning a "high-precision" operation on the hospital's property and asked any displaced civilians who were taking refuge there to evacuate right once.

When the attack started early on March 18, witnesses reported hearing gunshots a lot and saw tanks encircling the complex.

Israel claimed to have proof that captives abducted during the strike on October 7 were moved to Al-Shifa, which prompted a raid on the location early in the war.

Israel has long maintained that Hamas launches its operations under false pretenses by utilizing civilian health facilities, a claim that the Palestinian organization denies.

Getty Photographs Shifa regionGetty Photographs

Additionally, a large portion of the hospital's surroundings have been devastated.

The head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, referred to the situation at al-Shifa hospital as a "siege".

Before the military left, he wrote on X, the previous Twitter, that more a hundred individuals were still inside al-Shifa, suffering from a shortage of food, water, and medical supplies.

Netanyahu, however, has reaffirmed that al-Shifa was a "terrorist lair" and complimented the Israeli military for carrying out a "precise and surgical" surprise strike.

The Prime Minister of Israel spoke on Sunday evening before going into surgery to repair a hernia that was found during a regular physical examination.

According to his office, Mr. Netanyahu was "in good shape and beginning to recover" early on Monday following the successful procedure.

The operation was performed in the midst of protests in Jerusalem sparked by growing indignation about how his government was conducting the Gaza War. Many protested in the streets, calling for further action to release the captives.

About 130 persons are still missing following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, of which at least 34 are thought to be killed.

Some members of Israeli society are putting pressure on Mr. Netanyahu because they feel that not enough has been done to free the captives who are still inside Gaza.

Additionally on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization injured seven journalists, including a freelancer for the BBC, on the grounds of al-Aqsa hospital.

The IDF claimed that PIJ was using a building on the hospital's property as a command center, so it struck it.

The IDF said that four members of the PIJ, an organization affiliated with Hamas that took part in the October 7 incident, had died.