Israel Air Force Strikes Hamas Weapons Cache Near Gaza Hospital

The Israeli Air Force conducted a targeted airstrike on a Hamas weapons storage facility located near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday afternoon. The strike, which followed the issuance of evacuation notices for nearby structures, was executed based on intelligence indicating Hamas was using the area to rebuild its rocket capabilities and store weaponry. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) emphasized that the hospital itself was not damaged in the attack.

IDF officials stated that the operation was precise and that the missiles did not impact the hospital complex. This action comes amid an ongoing assessment by the IDF that Hamas deliberately positions military infrastructure, including command centers and operational rooms, within and beneath civilian facilities like Al-Shifa and the European Hospital in Khan Younis. The military believes Hamas operates under the assumption that hospital zones offer protection from airstrikes.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, the Air Force, in coordination with the Shin Bet security agency, eliminated a Hamas operative in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of northern Gaza. This targeted killing was the 15th such operation carried out by the IDF in the Gaza Strip over the past week.