Tipsheet

Everything You Need to Know About Hamas' Headquarters

Katie Pavlich
Katie Pavlich  |  October 27, 2023 2:15 PM

The Israeli Defense Forces released detailed information Friday afternoon about Al Shifa hospital, the location in the Gaza Strip where Hamas built their headquarters underneath -- using sick and injured civilian patients as human shields. 

The use of the hospital by Hamas is not a secret and has been well documented (and tolerated by the international community and United Nations) over the years. From Commentary Magazine: 

The media firestorm over whether Israel attacked the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza is over. It was an errant rocket shot by the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad group that exploded near the compound. But another media firestorm is brewing, and it will focus squarely on the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Al-Shifa is the largest hospital in Gaza. It is also, according to numerous and credible reports, a Hamas base of military operations.

The specifics have been revealed in a steady drip of open-source information dating back to 2006, when a PBS documentary showed Hamas fighters roaming Shifa’s halls, intimidating staff, and denying access to parts of the hospital. The following year, according to Human Rights Watch, Hamas fired at its rival group Fatah from within the Shifa hospital compound during a Palestinian civil war. As one doctor said, “the medical staff are suffering from fear and terror, particularly of the Hamas fighters, who are in every corner of the hospital.”

The information comes as IDF expands their ground operations in the Gaza Strip. Friday marked the most significant bombing of Hamas targets since the war began on October 7. Hamas is still holding more than 200 hostages, including at least 10 Americans.