The IDF and Shin Bet released further documentation on Saturday of Hamas's use of the Shifa hospital, publishing clips from two interrogations of terrorists captured on October 7 after the massacre.
In the video, one of the terrorists openly admits that these tunnels and operation rooms are located under hospitals, including the Al-Shifa Hospital.
"Al-Shifa Hospital is huge, and so we can hide there," the terrorist said. He added that when Israel strikes Gaza, Hamas terrorists take cover in schools, hospitals, and other locations that Israel attempts to avoid.
The interrogator asked, "So I understand that any place that provides medical care - hospitals, clinics - you exploit?" The terrorist nodded in the affirmative and said that Hamas uses these structures to protect the transport of food, weapons, and other commodities among the terrorists.
A second terrorist delivered a similar message in another video.The tunnels in the Gaza Strip were initially created to smuggle goods in and out of the area, connecting it to Egypt. As time passed, Hamas expanded its tunnel network due to increased Israeli aerial surveillance, which included the use of drones and electronic surveillance equipment in the strip.
It was only after the 2014 military operation in Gaza that the IDF fully understood the danger and complexity of these tunnels. Consequently, the Israeli government initiated the construction of an underground border barrier along the Gaza Strip to prevent tunnel-based infiltration.
Identifying these tunnels is challenging because they can be hidden beneath various structures. However, several methods can be employed to detect them, including ground-penetrating radar and techniques for measuring magnetic, thermal, and acoustic signatures. Despite these technological methods, human intelligence remains a primary means of discovering these tunnels, as outlined in a 2017 research report from the RAND Corporation.
The IDF spokesperson also maintained that Al-Shifa Hospital has fuel, contrary to claims by the United Nations.
Hamas controls fuel in hospitals
In a separate recorded conversation between two anonymous people, a speaker said that Hamas controls the hospital and has fuel and that those "with connections" can bring fuel containers and fill them up.
"Underground, I say they have at least half a million liters" of fuel, the speaker said.