The Israeli Army confirmed on Sunday that soldier Noa Marciano was killed by Hamas militiamen inside the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which contradicts the Islamic group’s version that claimed the 19-year-old girl died. because of the incessant bombing.
Marciano was wounded during clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas militiamen at the Al Shifa hospital site, but the injuries “do not pose a threat to his life,” said Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli Army, highlighting that, according to intelligence reports, “Hamas terrorists took Noa to Al Shifa hospital, where he was quickly killed.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) maintain that the Palestinian Islamist organization is keeping some of the more than 240 hostages it captured during the massacre on October 7, in which more than 1,400 people died in the medical center in the south and in the southern communities of Israel.
“New findings revealed by the Israel Defense Forces and Security Agency confirm that Al Shifa Hospital was used as a terrorist infrastructure where Hamas terrorists were held hostage,” the IDF said in a statement. The report included pictures allegedly taken on October 7 inside the Al Shifa hospital that showed Hamas militants holding hostage two of the captured civilians, a Nepali and a Thai. One of them was walking, and the other was on a stretcher, bleeding, and his hands were tied.
The Army also released images of vehicles near the hospital, which it claimed belonged to its troops and were stolen by Hamas militiamen: “These findings prove that the Hamas terrorist organization used the Al Shifa hospital complex in the day of the massacre as a terrorist infrastructure.”
Israel justified its attack on several hospitals and even ambulances in the Gaza Strip, arguing that Hamas was using these infrastructures for military purposes. Israeli troops believe that Hamas has built underground infrastructure in the area of ​​Al Shifa hospital, the most important medical center in the Palestinian enclave, to build its headquarters.
This Sunday, the Israeli Army claimed to have found a “fortified tunnel” 55 meters long and 10 meters deep under Al Shifa hospital. Likewise, it released aerial photos of the hospital where “Hamas terrorist infrastructure” was seen, including “explosives in the physiotherapy rooms, an interrogation room in the cardiology area, weapons and intelligence in the center of the MRI, and a well,” which is located near the Qatari hospital building.
Al Shifa Hospital has been under siege by Israeli forces for days, and last week, ground forces stormed the facility. On Saturday, the medical center was evacuated after being completely cut off and after several days without electricity, drinking water, or medicine, and in the midst of an imminent outbreak of infection due to housing about 170 unrefrigerated bodies.
Among those evacuated are thousands of refugees and 31 premature babies, who will be transferred to Egypt on Monday to receive proper care. It is estimated that around 300 people remain inside Al Shifa Hospital, including critical patients and medical staff.
