It's not just Shifa

Car belonging to abducted hostage found in Gaza hospital

Let’s talk about hospitals in Gaza.

If you’ve been following me, you know that Shifa Hospital in the Gaza City was a watershed moment for us, with extensive upfront statements by the IDF saying that we would not tolerate Hamas’ deliberate use of human shields, followed by careful but deliberate operations to reveal the full extent of Hamas’ entrenchment in and under the hospital.

But Shifa is not an exception.

Gaza has dozens of hospitals and - just like the mosques and schools across Gaza - Hamas exploits many of them for terrorist activity, jeopardizing the very locations that should be reserved for protecting the people of Gaza.

And, unfortunately, the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip was no different.

(More satellite photos of the Indonesian hospital and nearby infrastructure are available here)

About the Indonesian Hospital

Built in 2011 with funding from Indonesia and opening in 2015, the Indonesia Hospital near Jabalya has some 110 beds. But it’s what’s underneath the beds that matters.

During operational activity over the past few weeks, IDF soldiers discovered overwhelming evidence connecting Hamas’ terrorist activities to the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. This included a white Toyota Corolla belonging to the family of one of the Israelis abducted on October 7th, as well as a truck identical to the type that Hamas used during the attacks.

But it goes far deeper than two cars.

In fact, under the hospital is a strategic center belonging to Hamas’ Jabalya Battalion, one of the larger battalions in Hamas’ Northern Gaza Brigade.

The war on this battalion has been underway for some time.

The IDF successfully targeted the battalion commander as early as late October. More recently, this Sunday, the IDF announced operational control of the area in an effort led by the 551st Brigade of the 162nd Division. The operations included fierce battles during which many terrorists were killed and hundreds of weapons were located. As part of these same efforts, IDF soldiers located and recovered the bodies of five hostages abducted on October 7th and brought them to be buried in Israel, acting on information from the IDF Intelligence’s 504 Unit.

Back to the hospital

Earlier in the war, the IDF released an intercepted phone call showing how Hamas was controlling fuel allocation, including by taking fuel from the Indonesian Hospital. But the role of the hospital in Hamas’ strategic plan was far larger than a fuel depot.

As Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokesperson, put it yesterday:

The evidence we have collected indicates that the hospital area served Hamas terrorists as a gathering point before the October 7th attack and provided refuge for them afterward.”

During the war, armed “Nukhba” operatives - Hamas commandos that ran point on the October 7th attacks - were sighted in the hospital. The hospital was also used as a gathering point prior to the attacks. And, like so much of Gaza, the hospital has extensive terrorist infrastructure underneath with tunnel shafts leading to a large subterranean network in the hospital area.

The discovery of the cars immediately nearby was no coincidence. Take a look.

As you can see, in the inner compound of the hospital, a white Toyota truck - the same kind now well-known from the October 7th massacres - was discovered, along with weapons. 

In the same inner compound, in a fenced-off area, a white Toyota Corolla with Israeli plates was found. The car had belonged to the family of the late Samer Talalka. Inside the car, soldiers found parts of an RPG, as well as bloodstains identified as belonging to another hostage.

In other words, the hospital was intrinsically linked to the brutal events of October 7th.

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It’s horrific that Hamas continues to exploit these sensitive sites for warfare. And, as I mentioned, hospitals are not unique in that regard. Here, for example, is a picture of weapons recently found in a children’s bedroom in Gaza:

When Hamas fires from schools or hides weapons among civilians in schools, it forces the IDF to act there as well. It’s a deliberate Hamas choice with grave ramifications for Gaza’s residents….and it is manifest on a daily basis.

Operational Update

• Several launches from Lebanon toward northern Israel were identified. The IDF struck targets in Lebanon in response. In addition, earlier today a surface-to-air missile was launched from Lebanon toward an IDF aircraft - the aircraft wasn’t damaged and successfully completed its mission. An IDF fighter jet also struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon this morning.

• Yesterday, acting on intelligence indicating Hamas terrorists hiding inside schools, Nahal Brigade soldiers conducted operational activity in the area of ​​the "Al Rafaa" and "Zavaha" schools in Tuffah in the northern Gaza Strip.  During encounters with terrorists, the soldiers located dozens of explosive devices bags, rifles and explosive belts.

• IDF soldiers continued to operate across the Gaza Strip including Khan Yunis, Beit Lahia, Daraj Tuffah, and Jabalya. In multiple cases, tight-knit coordination between ground forces and the air force helped eliminate terrorists. For example, after identifying a Hamas cell advancing toward a military compound in Khan Yunis, troops directed an IDF aircraft that struck the compound and killed the terrorist cell.

• 218 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip yesterday (Dec. 25). 142 inspected at the Nitzana crossing and transferred to Gaza via the Rafah Crossing, and 76 inspected and transferred to Gaza via Kerem Shalom.

Quoted

“There are no magic solutions or shortcuts in the fundamental dismantling of a terrorist organization, except persistent and determined fighting, and we are very, very determined. We will also get to the Hamas leadership, whether it takes a week or months. Thanks to spirit and professionalism, we will get there.”

Statement by the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi

What I’m reading

This NY Post article about the troubling relationship between Hamas and UNWRA. As a Gaza resident says:

“Hamas has their hands on UNRWA administration workers, and it manages UNRWA…From the day they [Hamas] rose to power they took control of everything.”