(New York Times) Julian E. Barnes - A senior U.S. intelligence official said on Tuesday that the American government continued to believe that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad used Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza and sites beneath it to exercise command and control activities, store weapons and hold "at least a few hostages." The IDF took control of the facility in November in an operation that came under intense international scrutiny. Hamas fighters evacuated the complex days before the IDF operation, destroying documents and electronics as they left, the U.S. official said. News organizations including the Washington Post have continued to raise questions about Hamas' presence at the hospital, but the new intelligence that the hospital was used by Hamas represents the most current American assessment, officials said.
2024-01-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive