Israeli forces have detained hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters including a number of security officials and military commanders during its extended raid into Gaza’s main hospital, the military’s main spokesperson said.
Israeli troops entered the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Monday morning and have been combing through the sprawling complex, which the military says is connected to a tunnel network used as a base for Palestinian fighters.
It says troops have killed hundreds of fighters in the operation and also detained over 500 suspects, including 358 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the largest number captured at the same time since the beginning of the war nearly six months ago.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said special forces units had used “deception tactics” to surprise the fighters and had severely damaged Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Among the detainees were 3 senior Islamic Jihad military commanders and two Hamas officials responsible for operations in the occupied West Bank.
