The Israeli army recovers the bodies of two hostages in the area of Al-Shifa hospital
The lifeless bodies of Yehudit Weiss, 65, and Noa Marciano, 19, have been recovered by the IDF from the vicinity of Al-Shifa hospital, the largest medical facility in the Gaza Strip. Underneath the health complex, according to Israeli authorities and US intelligence, is also reportedly the headquarters of Hamas.
In addition to members and weapons of the terrorist group, there were also "strong indications" that some of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas and other organisations in Gaza on 7 October were being held in the hospital. This was one of the reasons, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, why Israeli troops entered Al-Shifa.
The bodies of Weiss and Marciano have already been transferred to Israeli territory. Weiss, a mother of five, was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri on the morning of 7 October. Her husband, Shmulik Weiss, was killed during the attack and found lifeless in the shelter. Weiss, who worked in the kibbutz's nursery and canteen, was undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer at the time of her abduction.
"Yehudit (Weiss) was killed by terrorists in the Gaza Strip and we failed to locate her in time," army spokesman Daniel Hagari lamented during a televised briefing.
Yehudit Weiss, 64, was sick with cancer when Hamas death squads murdered her husband in Be’eri and abducted her to Gaza on October 7.
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) November 16, 2023
The IDF found her body in a building containing Kalashnikovs and RPGs adjacent to the Shifa Hospital. 💔 pic.twitter.com/Ik7UuP18Ok
Marciano, meanwhile, was abducted from the Nahal Oz base where she was stationed. Earlier this week, Hamas released a propaganda video of the young soldier, who identifies herself and says she has been held in Gaza for four days. The footage then shows her corpse on a blood-stained sheet and a close-up of a head wound.
"Following an identification process carried out by military medical personnel and the rabbinate, IDF representatives informed her family yesterday that her body was removed and returned to Israeli territory," the army said in a statement.
19 year old CPL Noa Marciano was abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023
Her body was found and extracted by IDF troops adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the family and will continue to support them. pic.twitter.com/f7eWBUrzVq
Israel announces 'significant findings' in Al-Shifa
The operation in Al-Shifa hospital continues. Israeli forces have already found the entrance to a Hamas tunnel in the health complex, as well as numerous weapons. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced "important findings" in Al-Shifa, where the "next phase" of the ground operation is already underway.
In addition to military equipment and weapons such as Kalashnikovs - which were found in Al-Shifa's MRI department - the IDF discovered an operational headquarters with communications equipment belonging to Hamas, which "proves unequivocally that the hospital was used for terrorist purposes, in complete violation of international law".
However, the Israeli army claims that "this is only the tip of the iceberg". "Hamas is not here because they knew we were coming. This is probably what they were forced to leave behind, but there is much more," IDF international spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told the BBC.
This is the IDFs released preliminary evidence of the Al Shifa hospital. The claims include storage of weapons including AK-47s, ammunition, grenades, military vests. Also claimed is a laptop containing image of a known hostage. pic.twitter.com/ivKX3Hryp8
— Avi Bitterman, MD (@AviBittMD) November 15, 2023
The Israeli military operation in al-Shifa has been condemned by the United Nations - which estimates there are at least 2,300 patients, staff and displaced persons inside the hospital - Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, which call the incursion a "violation of international law".
#BREAKING: The IDF shows the entrance to a Hamas terror tunnel it discovered in the Shifa Hospital complex. pic.twitter.com/j0Xv9Ttk4C
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 16, 2023
However, under international humanitarian law, hospitals can lose their protected status if combatants, in this case Hamas, use them for military purposes. In this case, civilians must be given sufficient time to leave the facility, while Israel must prove that the hospital is indeed a legitimate military target.
Inside Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital we saw weapons in the radiology department. Israeli forces told us they believe Hamas fighters are inside other buildings within the complex. pic.twitter.com/NtHqJHBt5X
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) November 16, 2023
IDF strikes Ismail Haniyeh's house
In addition to the operation in Al-Shifa, Israel continues to launch air strikes against Hamas' underground infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, has also been targeted. According to the army, the house had been used as a "terrorist infrastructure" and as a "meeting place for terrorists and senior members of the organisation".
In addition, weapons and explosive devices were found during a night raid in the north of the enclave. In the south, where most civilians have been forced to flee, Israeli forces dropped leaflets warning residents to evacuate some parts, raising the possibility that the operation could also expand to the south.
The 215th fire brigade in the 162nd division attacked tonight with fighter jets the house of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the terrorist organization Hamas, which was used as a terrorist infrastructure and, among other things, as a meeting place for the… pic.twitter.com/cnqIJqDJC0
— ILTV Israel News (@ILTVNews) November 16, 2023
As residents in the north were warned before the ground invasion, the IDF warns that anyone near the terrorists or their positions "is putting their lives in danger".
In addition to air strikes and raids, fighting against Hamas members also continues at several points. In this regard, according to the family of Shani Louk, the young German-Israeli woman who was killed by Hamas, the member of the Islamist group who killed Louk has already been eliminated by Israeli forces.
Remember this terrorist who paraded the body of Shani Louk while shouting Allah Akbar ("God is great") in celebration?
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) November 16, 2023
He is no more. He was killed by Israel today and sent to hell.
The war will continue until all Hamas members, in Gaza or outside Gaza, meet a similar fate. pic.twitter.com/Ci2pwPI4Zh
During the start of the ground operation in Gaza, the IDF located in Gaza a part of a bone from the skull of the young woman, who was believed to have been kidnapped following the Hamas attack on the NOVA music festival.
Family members believe Shani died on 7 October after seeing videos of her half-naked, apparently unconscious, lying face down in the back of a van in Gaza filled with gunmen spitting on and beating her body.
