Key Takeaways:
- Hamas has methodically turned Gaza’s hospitals from centers of healing into terrorist bases.
- Through three years of war, Israeli forces have uncovered weapons, tunnels, and command-and-control centers in numerous Gazan hospitals.
- The hospitals are but one example of how Hamas and its terrorist allies have exploited civilian sites for nefarious purposes, stripping them of their legal protections.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began with the terrorist massacres and atrocities of October 7, 2023, Gazan hospitals have been a recurring focus of media coverage and commentary by international NGOs. Much ink has been spilled condemning Israeli military activity in and around these facilities, with Israel accused of needlessly attacking civilian sites and endangering hospital staff and patients. What these media organizations and NGOs routinely downplay or ignore, however, is the exploitation of hospitals, along with other civilian sites, by Palestinian terror groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Under international law, hospitals are civilian institutions protected from attack during war. But that protection can be lost if a hospital is used by a belligerent to commit acts that are “harmful to the enemy.” In its explanation of the law, the International Committee of the Red Cross gives several examples, including when a hospital is used “as a base from which to launch an attack; as an observation post to transmit information of military value; as a weapons depot; as a center for liaison with fighting troops; or as a shelter for able-bodied combatants.”
Since the early days of the war, Israel and the IDF have repeatedly presented evidence that hospitals across the Gaza Strip have been used by terror organizations as command-and-control centers, weapons storage facilities, hideouts, and cover for other terrorist operations.
Here are just some examples of how Hamas and other terror groups have used Gazan hospitals for purposes that could strip them of their legal protections.
Al-Shifa Hospital
Hamas’ exploitation of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has been an open secret among the media for years. An HonestReporting investigation found that just days after October 7, 2023, news photographers at the hospital published images of wounded Palestinians being brought in while framing their shots to exclude Hamas members standing nearby.
During the war, Hamas used the hospital as a key command-and-control center.
On October 7 itself, Al-Shifa was a destination for Hamas terrorists returning from their invasion of southern Israel, who brought both a captured IDF vehicle and individual hostages to the site. It is unlikely that the hostages were taken there solely for medical treatment, as reaching Al-Shifa would have required them to pass several other hospitals along the way.
After taking control of the medical facility in November 2023, Israeli forces discovered weapons, including assault rifles and explosives, communications devices used by Hamas members, a terror tunnel running beneath the hospital, and a booby-trapped vehicle containing additional weapons.
In March 2024, after Israeli troops had withdrawn from Al-Shifa, forces returned and battled terrorists who had holed up inside. They uncovered more weapons at the site, including mortars, sniper rifles, and explosives.
Since the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian sources have claimed that Hamas is using part of Al-Shifa as an interrogation and torture facility in an effort to reassert control over Gaza’s civilian population.
Kamal Adwan Hospital
Hamas’ exploitation of Kamal Adwan Hospital during wartime dates back at least to Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
In the current war, the terror group used the hospital as a command-and-control center for its activities in northern Gaza. According to an interview with a captured terrorist who had been based there, Kamal Adwan served as a shelter for terrorists, a weapons depot, and an assembly point for operatives heading out on surveillance missions and night patrols. Another captured terrorist reported that Hamas and Islamic Jihad members were also employed at the hospital.
There is also evidence that an Israeli soldier abducted on October 7 was held there for a period of time.
In December 2024, Israeli forces battled terrorists hiding in the hospital, including gunmen who fired RPGs and anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops from within its grounds. Following the fighting, Israeli security forces arrested 240 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists. After the facility was cleared, troops also uncovered a large cache of weapons hidden inside.
The exploitation of Kamal Adwan appears to have been institutionalized. Its director, who was also arrested following the battle, was identified as holding a high rank within Hamas.
Nasser Hospital
Hamas used Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip as a command-and-control center, storing weapons and directing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians from within the medical complex. According to the IDF, Ismail Barhoum, the terror group’s finance chief, operated from the hospital.
The IDF also says it has intelligence indicating that Israeli hostages were held at Nasser Hospital for a period of time.
In August 2025, Israeli forces struck Nasser Hospital, killing 22 Palestinians. Although the IDF is still investigating the circumstances of the strike, six of those killed have been identified through Palestinian sources as members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Whatever the Israeli investigation ultimately determines about the strike itself, their presence demonstrates that Palestinian terrorists were operating at the hospital.
Since the October 2025 ceasefire, Hamas has also reportedly used part of Nasser Hospital as an interrogation and torture center in an effort to reassert control over Gaza’s civilian population.
The Indonesian Hospital
At the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, Israeli forces uncovered weapons hidden on the grounds as well as a terror tunnel network built beneath the facility.
Troops also discovered a vehicle belonging to Israeli hostage Samer Talalka on the hospital grounds, along with bloodstains belonging to another hostage. Nearby, the IDF found another vehicle used by Hamas during the October 7 terrorist invasion, directly linking the site to the events of that day.
Beyond those discoveries, the IDF asserts that the Indonesian Hospital served as a base for Hamas’ Jabalya Battalion, where terror operatives gathered before heading out on missions.
Other Hospitals
Nor are these the only medical facilities in Gaza that have served as cover for Hamas and Islamic Jihad operations.
At both the Sheikh Hamad Hospital in northern Gaza and Al-Quds Hospital in central Gaza, Israeli forces battled Hamas terrorists who used the hospitals as cover to fire at IDF soldiers nearby. When Israeli troops entered Al-Quds, they also uncovered a weapons cache that included assault rifles and grenades.
At Rantisi Hospital in Gaza City, IDF forces discovered a terrorist command-and-control center in the basement, as well as a terror tunnel running beneath the facility to the home of a senior Hamas naval commander. Alongside weapons including assault rifles, suicide vests, grenades, and RPGs, the IDF said it found evidence that Israeli hostages had been held in the basement.
In May 2025, Mohammed Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza and brother of Yahya Sinwar, was killed alongside the head of the terror group’s Rafah Brigade while hiding in a tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis.
In August 2026, IDF forces dismantled a site adjacent to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah that had served both as a hideout for Hamas terrorists and a weapons depot for attacks against Israeli forces patrolling the Yellow Line. Weeks later, Israel struck the same area, targeting a Hamas commander accused of using the hospital compound as cover to direct attacks against Israeli soldiers. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital has also reportedly been used by Hamas as an interrogation and torture center.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
