Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commended the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for their actions during a briefing on Monday following the withdrawal from Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital. Gallant praised the IDF and Shin Bet personnel for their determined and professional conduct during the operation inside the medical complex.
The Defense Minister described the 14-day hospital siege as a precise and deadly operation that caught fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad off guard, resulting in hundreds being killed or captured. Gallant stated that the terrorist base in Shifa had been eliminated as a result of the operation.
Before the IDF's withdrawal on Sunday, the Director General of the World Health Organization reported that 21 patients had lost their lives since the siege commenced on March 18. Additionally, dozens of patients remained trapped within the facility.
The Director General highlighted that 107 patients were housed in an inadequate building within the hospital compound, lacking essential health support, medical care, and supplies. The Ministry of Health in Gaza had previously indicated that around 30,000 individuals were seeking refuge in the area when Israeli forces surrounded the medical complex on March 18.
