The Israel Defense Forces have released a series of videos and images that the forces claim are from Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza on the day of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel. The video shows apparent hostages being brought into the hospital – one being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher, and one walking into the hospital surrounded by Hamas militants.
Retired Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton appeared on CNN and pointed out the time codes on the video. Leighton said the video shows these hostages showing up at Al-Shifa Hospital nearly three hours after Hamas terrorists attacked a town in southern Israel.
“So, if this is actually the way it happened, then it’s pretty conclusive proof that at the very least, the Al-Shifa hospital was being used as a transit point for the hostages and perhaps even more than that,” Leighton said.
The IDF says this video is more proof that Hamas used the Al-Shifa hospital complex to carry out its terrorist operations.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry responded to the IDF’s claims by saying that if the video proves anything, it’s that the hospital provided medical care to people in need.
Since the start of the war, the IDF has repeatedly stated that its goal is to destroy Hamas and bring home the nearly 240 hostages that are captive.
Israeli and U.S. officials are continuing to negotiate a deal with Hamas to release the hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting.
Hamas officials have said they want a cease-fire and they want all Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli jails. Meanwhile, Israel wants hostages to be released, and the country has made it clear: until the hostages are released, there will be no cease-fire in Gaza.
On Sunday, U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer spoke about reaching a possible hostage deal.
“Some of the outstanding areas of disagreement, in a very complicated, very sensitive negotiation have been narrowed,” Finer said on NBC News.
“I believe we are closer than we have been in quite some time, maybe closer than we have been since the beginning of this process to getting this deal done,” he said. “But at this point, we really need to adhere to the mantra that ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.’ You know, sensitive negotiations like this can fall apart at the last minute so we will not outline all the details to be discussed.”
However, after two hostages were found dead last week, it’s unclear how many hostages are still alive.
Meanwhile, since the IDF swarmed Al-Shifa and took control of the hospital complex, the forces are facing growing pressure to release more proof that a Hamas terror center exists under Al-Shifa.
Over the weekend of Nov. 18, IDF soldiers guided American journalists to a tunnel shaft near the Al-Shifa hospital. The IDF maintains that the shaft leads to the underground Hamas-run terror command and control center.
Finer also reiterated that U.S. intelligence shows that Hamas uses the Al-Shifa hospital complex as their headquarters to carry out their terror missions.