Criticism rains down on Israeli army's evidence regarding Al-Shifa Hospital raid

After Israel occupied Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, which it claimed was Hamas's main headquarters, the presentation of rusty weapons and a few cameras as evidence—instead of the tunnels and armories it had alleged—has sparked criticism.

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Criticism rains down on Israeli army's evidence regarding Al-Shifa Hospital raid

The footage presented by the Israeli army as evidence for its claims, 17 hours after it raided Al-Shifa Hospital last night, failed to produce the desired result.

In a statement from the Israeli army, which surrounded the perimeter and courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital with tanks and kept the hospital completely cut off from the outside world, it was claimed that "weapons and electronic devices" were seized in the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) department of Al-Shifa Hospital.

The footage shared by the army includes items alleged to belong to Hamas, such as a computer, half a box of dates, books, and about ten mostly rusty Kalashnikov rifles, vests, and hand grenades.

However, the footage provided no evidence of fixed elements such as tunnels or secret passages, or any sign of Israeli hostages, that could indicate the hospital is a Hamas headquarters.

The findings announced by the Israeli army at Al-Shifa Hospital—which it has claimed for weeks "has lost its international protection status because it is Hamas's main headquarters"—have also become a subject of criticism in the Israeli press.

Israeli journalist and security analyst Yossi Cohen noted in a post on the social media platform X that he had "bad feelings about Shifa (Hospital)."

Stating that Israel presented "unprecedentedly childish fabrications," Cohen said, "So (Israeli) hostages and terrorists were not found there. And now the Army Spokesperson says they entered Shifa because it is Hamas's headquarters and that weapons, maps, and headquarters were found there. Not impressive at all. Was it worth the expectations and the damage to the international image?"

Israel's Channel 13 television also commented on "Israel's major intelligence failure," criticizing that "contrary to the Israeli army's claims, there is no sign of any military facility at Al-Shifa Hospital."

Israel's right-wing newspaper Jerusalem Post also described the result reached by the Israeli army in the raid on Al-Shifa Hospital as a "disappointment."

The report on the newspaper's website stated, "Israeli military intelligence had said that 200 of the Hamas members who carried out the attack on Israel on October 7 were at Al-Shifa Hospital. Did these 200 Hamas forces evaporate and disappear?"

"MOTHER OF ALL SCANDALS"

Palestinian politician and researcher Mustafa Barghouti also commented on his X account, pointing out that the Israeli army has been continuing its siege and occupation of Al-Shifa Hospital for 18 hours, and assessed, "They could not show anything to prove their claims. Are they using the time to invent new lies?"

Barghouti described the result reached by the Israeli army as the "mother of all scandals."

Following heavy criticism of the footage it released from Al-Shifa Hospital, the Israeli army made a new post, sharing the "long version" of the video it had released. Unlike the previous footage, the video only included general comments made by the Israeli army spokesperson while walking between rooms on the ground floor of the MRI building.

Following these criticisms, the Israeli army made another post, stating that it was a continuation of the previously shared video.