Arrest of a number of senior Hamas commanders at Al-Shifa Hospital

The Israeli army announced the arrest of a number of senior Hamas commanders at Al-Shifa Hospital.

The Israeli army said in a statement issued on Thursday night, March 21, that a number of senior Hamas commanders were arrested and 140 gunmen were killed in an ongoing operation by Israeli forces at Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said about these individuals: “The arrested gunmen were transferred to the General Security Service for questioning, while the army operation at Al-Shifa Medical Complex is still ongoing.”

The statement mentioned that 600 militants were arrested during the operation, in addition to senior Hamas commanders, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which was directing and commanding operations not only in the Gaza Strip but also in the West Bank, was also arrested.

The Israeli army, while noting that many weapons and documents were discovered in the operation at Al-Shifa Hospital, emphasized in the statement that: "Based on information and data from the Military Intelligence and Internal Security Service, the army launched a targeted attack to pursue senior Hamas officials who had regained their positions in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex."

Regarding the arrest of Hamas commanders, the Israeli army added: "During the recent arrests, prominent Hamas commanders were arrested, including Amr Azidah, who commands the group's activities in the Nablus region of the West Bank, Mahmoud Al-Qawasmi, who planned and financed the kidnapping of three boys in 2014, and Hamdallah Hassan Ali, who promoted hostile actions and activities in the United States."