ISRAEL has stormed Gaza's largest hospital in what it calls a "precise" attack to hunt down terrorists inside the "beating heart" of Hamas.
Thousands of patients, doctors and displaced Palestinians have been trapped inside the besieged complex for weeks – and are now feared to be caught in the crossfire.
Last night, Israeli special forces launched their "precise and targeted" raid inside al Shifa – which the IDF today called a "military necessity" to root out Hamas.
A witness told the BBC that they saw tanks and hundreds of commandos advance on the medical facility.
The IDF said the operation continued this morning as they engaged in gun battles with Hamas militants and found weapons inside al Shifa.
"Before entering the hospital our forces were confronted by explosive devices and terrorist squads, fighting ensued in which terrorists were killed," the Israeli military said, without specifying exactly where the firefight took place.
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For days, Israeli troops have surrounded the hospital convinced that Hamas leaders are hiding in a bunker below and using patients as human shields.
In turn, the hospital has become a symbol of the widespread suffering of Palestinian civilians as patients, including newborns, have been dying from dwindling supplies and no electricity.
The World Health Organisation previously warned that the hospital was becoming a "cemetery" as dead bodies pile up inside and outside.
Now, as Israeli troops make the site their primary target in the mission to control northern Gaza – fears are increasingly growing for those trapped inside the battleground.
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The UN today heavily denounced Israel's raid inside al Shifa, stating: "Hospitals are not battlegrounds".
"I'm appalled by reports of military raids in Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza," Martin Griffiths, the UN's chief of humanitarian affairs said.
"The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns."
The White House also renewed its calls that all hospital patients "must be protected".
"We do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in the crossfire," a spokesperson said.
IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told CNN that the operation was in a "specific location" in the complex, but noted 1,000 civilians were still on the grounds.
The IDF also claimed that it had successfully provided incubators, baby food and medical supplies to the hospital.
The hospital is also at the heart of clashing narratives over who is to blame for the thousands of deaths and widespread destruction inside bomb-blitzed northern Gaza.
Israel accuses Hamas of using Palestinians as human shields, while Palestinians and rights groups say Israel has recklessly endangered civilians as it seeks to eradicate the group.
Last night, the IDF called on all members of the militant group inside the hospital to immediately surrender.
"In recent weeks, the IDF has publicly warned time and again that Hamas' continued military use of the hospital jeopardises its protected status under international law, and enabled ample time to stop this unlawful abuse of the hospital," it wrote in a statement.
"We call upon all Hamas terrorists present in the hospital to surrender."
It comes after the United States said it has a "variety of intelligence" that reveals Hamas are using al Shifa Hospital to run terrorist operations.
The White House's national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said: "We have information that confirms that Hamas is using that particular hospital for a command and control mode."
He added the facility is also probably being used to store weapons. "That is a war crime."
Hamas "strongly condemned and rejected" the claims made by the US and accused Biden of giving Israel the "green light" to attack the hospital.
It comes after Israeli forces wiped out a terror cell at the Al Quds hospital, where Hamas reportedly used patients as human shields.
On Monday, the IDF said its troops were fired at by Hamas fighters from the entrance of Al Quds hospital who had "embedded" themselves among civilians.
Israeli forces returned fire, claiming to have taken out 21 terrorists in the attack and reported no casualties on their side.
It did not confirm whether any civilians were killed during the fighting.
In the nearby al Rantisi Hospital, the IDF claimed to have discovered one of Hamas's lairs and weapons headquarters set in the basement level.
IDF footage revealed what appears to be an underground terror nest littered with babies' nappies and bottles – possibly indicating hostages could have been held there.
Troops said they found hoards of weapons in the hospital basement, including explosive belts, grenades, weapons and RPG missiles.
They also claimed to have found signs indicating that hostages were held in the room as they found a chair with women's clothes and a rope.
Forty one days into the grinding conflict and the bomb-blitzed Strip has been "split in two" by IDF forces who have relentlessly pushed ahead with their invasion in an attempt to wipe out Hamas for good.
Now, 16 years of Hamas's brutal rule of the Strip could finally be crumbling as Israeli forces surrounding Gaza City moved to fully capture it on Monday.
Israel claimed Hamas had lost control of Gaza after its troops reportedly seized the terror group's parliament and police headquarters.
Yoav Gallant, Israeli Defence Minister, said on Monday: "There is no power of Hamas capable of stopping the IDF.
"The IDF is advancing to every point.
"The Hamas organization has lost control of Gaza, terrorists are fleeing south, civilians are looting Hamas bases, they have no confidence in the government."
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On October 7, Hamas launched a cross-border killing spree on Israel, slaughtering 1,200, mostly civilians, and dragging some 240 hostages back into Gaza.
Over 11,000 people – including 4,500 children – are said to have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its retaliatory strikes and ground operations, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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