Israeli troops once more entered the al-Shifa Hospital en masse on Thursday, for the second time in as many days.
Their searches up to now seem to have didn’t uncover the alleged Hamas underground command centre that the Israeli facet adamantly insists lies beneath the medical amenities.
Hamas, the hospital workers and several other worldwide organisations that had entry to the hospital all assert that there are not any army installations or troopers at al-Shifa. They’ve mentioned it solely homes exhausted medical doctors and overworked nurses tending to the swelling numbers of sufferers in ever harder circumstances, exacerbated by a whole bunch of terrified Palestinians who escaped from the destruction of their properties to the relative security of the compound.
One among Israel’s major claims, clearly meant to justify the assaults in opposition to Gaza hospital compounds, was that Hamas had nullified the protected standing of medical amenities, utilizing them for army functions, thus giving Israel the suitable to assault and enter hospitals, all whereas blaming the Palestinian armed group.
The Israeli military went to nice lengths to “show” their allegations however the outcomes up to now don’t again these up. Earlier this week reporters from a US TV station embedded with the invading forces have been taken to al-Rantisi Youngsters’s Hospital by none apart from its chief spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. The information staff was proven a couple of Kalashnikovs and a bike, of all issues. Hagari bent over backwards attempting to persuade the media and the world that these have been proof of his facet’s allegations.
His claims have been mirrored at al-Shifa by his subordinate, Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, who introduced as “proof of terrorist actions” half a dozen AK assault rifles with magazines eliminated, a laptop computer and, in a Monty Pythonesque second, two cans of WD40 anti-rust spray.
Anybody who frolicked within the Center East or in any battle is aware of that the venerable Kalashnikovs are current just about all over the place. It’s regular, and authorized, for hospitals to have armed guards to guard them from criminals, looters and anybody desirous to misuse them.
However aside from the ignorance of those claims and the large discrepancy between demonstrating a couple of weapons and claiming a major command centre from the place Hamas performed its operations, the placement the place these weapons have been allegedly discovered is curious: the gloating Conricus was adamant that they have been hidden within the MRI room.
Anybody who has been examined by an MRI machine is aware of that they’ve needed to take away each metallic object.
I requested a radiology specialist whether or not it will be attainable to cover weapons in that room. The response: “The second the machine was turned on, it will pull the weapons and fix them to itself.” The MRI machine can’t perform with rifles on it. Asking somebody to consider that any hospital in Gaza would relinquish certainly one of its major diagnostic machines to cover a seize bag with a couple of weapons is solely absurd.
The Israeli military has been profitable in taking the bottom in Gaza, at the least on the fringes of the town correct with a couple of incursions deeper into the city areas, just like the advance to al-Shifa, with pretty low numbers of casualties and restricted materials losses.
However it has didn’t uncover – and present – any underground command centres or main tunnels. It was seen and filmed taking place a couple of shafts, unopposed, but it surely didn’t seem to have gone underground in earnest.
Failing to supply the underground command centre, late on Thursday, the Israeli military confirmed a gap within the floor claiming it to be the doorway of a Hamas army tunnel. Till the media is allowed to enter and test for itself, it must stability that declare in opposition to the counter-suggestion that it’s an entry level for an underground electrical cable.
I’ve little doubt that there are Hamas underground bunkers, communications nodes, energy stations, storage amenities and – command centres.
In the event you take your trigger underground, as Hamas clearly has, dedicating substantial assets and big efforts to constructing the community, you then do assemble an built-in community. Something in need of constructing a number of command amenities deep underground can be amateurish and outright silly.
Each professional should be sure that such a “beating coronary heart of Hamas”, because the Israeli military referred to as it, is certainly ticking someplace underneath Gaza. However apparently, perhaps even definitely, not underneath al-Shifa Hospital.
Because the aerial bombardment continues, many observers have failed to note that aside from the raids on the hospitals, there was little or no motion on the bottom for nearly per week now. Massive Israeli columns are dug in awaiting orders, however nothing signifies once they may advance additional, nor in what course and by what means.
For its half, Hamas has additionally been very quiet. It had put up some resistance to the preliminary Israeli advance, however saved it restricted to opportunistic assaults that have been meant extra to probe the enemy and present the flag than to essentially cease the military earlier than it bought to the town. Its Qassam Brigades appear set to stay low-key, figuring out that ultimately the Israeli military must transfer underneath the bottom to search out and destroy the tunnels and command centres. They can’t win by remaining on the bottom.
So, what occurs subsequent?
If the combating is to proceed, Israel must transfer first. Hamas can wait longer than the Israeli military. The Palestinians can let the Israelis simmer in their very own stew, figuring out that the displeasure on the failure to supply tangible outcomes will additional strengthen the voices of protest and opposition to the continuation of battle.
There are indicators that the military is conscious of the necessity to present some success to the home public in Israel and is resorting to traditional public relations stunts.
On Wednesday night the thirty fifth Paratroopers Brigade awarded the maroon berets to new recruits inside Gaza territory. There’s hardly any army justification in selecting to carry the ceremony amid destroyed and depopulated buildings.
However somebody within the Israeli military clearly hopes that the sentiment aroused by the symbolic elevating of Israeli flags on occupied Palestinian territory – and several other extra flags have been raised among the many Gaza rubble on Thursday – may purchase them a while earlier than the general public begins asking the unpopular query: “Are we beating Hamas?”
