We Tried to Tell Them About Shifa Hospital

On the dangers of jumping to conclusions

This is a longer post, but maybe the most important of the war so far. If you know others who could benefit from receiving this update in particular, please share it with them. The truth of Shifa must be known:

I don’t like saying ‘I told you so’. I mean, I do.

Everyone makes mistakes. I certainly do.

And this is particularly true reporting from a war zone. No one bats a thousand (I assume most of you are here for an Israeli-Scottish colonel making baseball references).

But as inevitable as mistakes in war coverage are, that’s not what happened in Shifa.

Mistakes weren’t made in the field. Mistakes were made in assumptions. Assumptions that evidence is either available on-demand and in-full….or is non-existent.

These assumptions have dramatic consequences. As a reminder - when journalists misreported on al-Ahli, pushing demonstrators to the street across the Middle East, corrections two days later couldn’t put the cat back in the bag.

So let’s talk Shifa.
In today’s newsletter, I want to take a step back, look at the old and new evidence that Hamas cynically used Shifa hospital, and then discuss why much of the world jumped to declare that we found ‘nothing’.

Bird’s eye view of what’s been revealed so far.

Since 2007, Shifa’s Been Much More than Hospital

Let’s go back to the summer of 2007, almost two years after Israel fully withdrew all soldiers and citizens from Gaza.

In the second week of June, Hamas launched a bloody coup to seize control of the Gaza Strip. This is where Shifa Hospital first enters the story. Just two weeks after Hamas’ takeover, this description of the hospital appeared in BMJ (formerly ‘British Medical Journal’):

Witnesses have said that some injured people coming for hospital treatment have been shot by Hamas militants inside hospitals.

and then this

The hospital is operating beyond 120% capacity. The medical staff are suffering from fear and terror, particularly of the Hamas fighters, who are in every corner of the hospital.”

As far as Hamas was concerned, even when it came to other Palestinians, Shifa was not just a place where people come to heal. Fast forward a year and a half to Operation Cast Lead, and the New York Times writes:

This was absolutely not limited to attacking Palestinians.

2014 - Rockets and ‘De Facto Command Center’

During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, a Finnish TV reporter described rockets being launched at Israel from the Shifa parking lot.

She doesn’t mention it here but it’s certainly worth considering… where were those rockets stored? Were they specially transported to Shifa to launch? Or were they much, much closer?

Also during Protective Edge, the Washington Post published this description of Shifa:

I remind you that all of this was published and known before October 7th and the current war.

So we have a medical facility moonlighting as a de facto headquarters. In this same headquarters, Hamas opponents are executed and rockets are launched at Israelis.

Here’s what the Red Cross has to say about that:

Therefore, specific protection to which hospitals are entitled shall not cease unless they are used by a party to the conflict to commit, outside their humanitarian functions, an "act harmful to the enemy".

But let’s skip ahead to now.

October and beyond

On October 27th, three weeks after Hamas’ attack and once it became clear a comprehensive ground operation would need to include full freedom of operations within Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokesperson delivered a ten minute long briefing detailing Hamas’ use and abuse of Shifa hospital.

This warning was delivered weeks of calls on the citizens of north Gaza to move south. Because Hamas was using civilians as human shields. And it was using the hospital’s protected status to cower under while Gazans were being treated above them.

What We’ve Discovered (So Far)

On November 14th, the first IDF soldiers entered the Shifa hospital complex. We went in slowly and methodically, not wanting to disturb ongoing medical care, as I mentioned in my Saturday newsletter. These first forces included medical teams and Arabic speakers, who had specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment.

The mission was in keeping with our goals in this war - dismantling Hamas’ capabilities and bringing our hostages home.

But the cost was high.

It meant giving up on the element of surprise. It meant giving up some serious military edges, like our aerial superiority. Most importantly - and perhaps most misunderstood - is that we never thought there would be a smoking gun as soon as we entered the hospital complex.

Hamas had weeks to bury the evidence.

We are - carefully - unearthing the evidence of Hamas’ abuse. Finding the closed-circuit video cameras proving that hostages were brought to the hospital by men wielding guns and machetes. Exploring the underground tunnel - over 50 meters (164 feet) and counting, fortified with explosion proof doors. Finding proof that CPL Noa Marciano was taken to the hospital…and murdered.

But this takes time.

We’ve revealed a lot of information but unearthing two decades of buildup and three weeks of coverups takes time. As we reveal more and more, I’m increasingly asking a question that I remember Adam Grant asking:

A sign of intellect is the ability to change your mind in the face of new facts. A mark of wisdom is refusing to let the fear of admitting you were wrong stop you from getting it right.

How’s this for changing opinion?

The Lesson Going Forward

Honestly, this is an easy one.

It’s increasingly clear that our assertion that Hamas uses hospitals as civilians shields - not just Shifa - is true. As more countries around the world face terrorists that don’t share our values, don’t share the sacredness with which we hold hospitals, and are willing to exploit those values, we must remember a few things:

1. Same-sideness doesn’t always work. Israel is a liberal democracy. Hamas is a recognized terrorist organization. Giving equal weight to claims from both sides - one with a functional check and balance systems and another that knowingly butchers children in a surprise attack - is just plain wrong.

2. Evidence takes time. Court cases drag on for months or years because the burden of evidence is exactly that - a burden. Terrorist organizations flatly deny news in seconds; militaries with integrity take time. The media must adapt to this new reality. Otherwise the terrorists will win every single time, laughing at our values as they do.

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Operational Updates

An important general update - there are still a number of rocket launches a day into Israeli territory from Gaza. Each of these rockets are meant to kill and maim Israelis. While most of the civilians closest to Gaza have been evacuated, there is still a risk to those unable to leave.

A full breakdown of all rocket fire into Israel can be found here

Southern Front

• Yesterday the IDF continues its efforts to strike Hamas senior and tactical leadership. As part of that, in addition to attacks on terrorist infrastructure and Hamas weapons, IDF fighter jets, directed by IDF and ISA intelligence, killed three additional Hamas company commanders.

• Over the last day, the IDF, led by COGAT, helped facilitate the safe evacuation of newborn Gazan babies from the pediatric ward of Shifa Hospital to receive essential medical treatment in Egypt. The coordination of this mission was at the request of Egypt and the Director of the Shifa Hospital. The evacuation was carried out by UN teams with the assistance of IDF teams on the ground. Israeli incubators were provided to the Shifa hospital for the rescue effort of the babies.

• Unit 504 of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate is now able to confirm that IDF troops have apprehended over 300 terrorists during the ground operation in Gaza. The terrorists were brought into Israeli territory for further interrogations.

Northern Front

• This morning, IDF artillery struck in several locations in Lebanon. A number of launches were then identified from Lebanon into Israeli territory in the areas of Arab al-Aramshe, Biranit and Bar'am. No injuries were reported. As a result of the launches toward the area of Biranit, a fire broke out. The IDF and Israel Fire and Rescue Services arrived at the scene to put out the fire.

• In addition, on Monday the IDF targeted a terrorist cell that attempted to launch anti-tank missiles in the area of Marwahin in Lebanon. IDF tanks and aerial forces struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanon in response

• Another 25 launches were identified from Lebanon toward several locations adjacent to the border, some of which were intercepted and the rest of which fell in open areas.

• Three UAVs struck near an IDF post. No injuries were reported. The IDF struck the source of the UAV launches.

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Quote of the Day

"We received thousands of phone calls from Gazans, on a scale never seen before in the unit. It is evident that the residents of the Gaza Strip are not satisfied with the barbaric conduct of Hamas, the ordinary civilian understands that Hamas is bringing disaster to the residents of Gaza that will be difficult for them to recover from.”

- Senior Official in the 504 Unit of the Intelligence Directorate

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What I’m Reading

On Hezbollah, Lebanon, and the risk of escalation - Brookings

A quick examination of some of the main issues on Israel’s northern border

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Snack Update

After starting this post with a reference for the Americans, here’s something only the Brits will appreciate: Yishay, our brilliant video editor, just walked in with a bag of Tyrells Sea & Salt cider vinegar crisps.

Of course, as his officer, it was only appropriate that I requisition a few of them…