Daily Alert Archives

The Battle of Al-Shifa Hospital

(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - On Dec. 8, 2016, U.S. Central Command released a statement: "Coalition Strikes Mosul Hospital." The Islamic State, it explained, "was using the hospital as a base of operations and command and control headquarters." The story, and the scandal, wasn't that the U.S. struck the terrorists, but that terrorists had used the hospital for cover in the first place. "In Mosul Battle, ISIS Used Hospital Base" was the Human Rights Watch headline; it explained that "armed forces or groups should not occupy medical facilities, undermining their protected status." Hamas has used Al-Shifa hospital at least since 2006, when a PBS documentary showed terrorists roaming its halls and cordoning off wings. In the 2008-09 war, Hamas leaders hid in a bunker under the hospital. The New York Times wrote that Hamas operated openly in the halls. In the 2014 war, the Washington Post reported that Al-Shifa was a Hamas "de facto headquarters." On Tuesday, the White House confirmed that "Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad members operate a command and control node from Al-Shifa in Gaza City." The law of war in this case is clear: Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Hamas' use of Al-Shifa for military purposes vitiates the protected status granted to hospitals. Contrary to media claims of an Israeli "siege" of Al-Shifa hospital, Israel days ago opened a humanitarian corridor from the east side of the hospital to get civilians out. Many have since fled, as Israel first warned them to do a month ago.
2023-11-15 00:00:00
Full Article