Israeli forces launched another raid on the Gaza Strip's largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas terrorists had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Gaza officials say tens of thousands of people have been sheltering.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief Israeli military spokesperson, said the army launched a "high-precision operation" in parts of the medical complex. He said senior Hamas terrorists had regrouped there and were directing attacks from the compound.
The army released a aerial video of what it said were terrorists firing on its forces from inside the hospital, as well as video of a rocket-propelled grenade striking an armored vehicle. It said its forces had detained around 80 people.
Hagari said the patients and medical staff could remain in the medical complex and that a safe passage was available for civilians who wanted to leave.
Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian facilities to shield its fighters, and the Israeli military has raided several hospitals since the start of the war, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel.
The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming Hamas maintained an elaborate command center within and beneath the facility. The military revealed a tunnel leading to some underground rooms, as well as weapons it said were found inside the hospital. But the evidence fell short of the earlier claims, and critics accused the army of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians.
People sheltering in the hospital said Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery had surrounded the medical complex and that snipers were shooting at people inside. They said the army raided a number of buildings and detained dozens of people.
"We're trapped inside," said Abdel-Hady Sayed, who has been sheltering in the medical facility for over three months. "They fire at anything moving. … Doctors and ambulances can't move."
Gaza's Hamas terrorist-run Health Ministry said the Israeli army was directing gun and missile fire at a building used for specialized surgeries. It said a fire broke out at the hospital's gate.
The Health Ministry said around 30,000 people are sheltering at the hospital, including patients, medical staff, and people who have fled their homes seeking safety.
Most of Gaza's medical facilities have been forced to shut down for lack of fuel and medical supplies, even as scores of people are killed and wounded each day in Israeli strikes.
The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker another cease-fire and hostage release, but the gulf between the two sides remains wide, with Hamas demanding guarantees for an end to the war and Israel vowing to continue the offensive until all hostages are returned without giving back convicted murders in prisoner swaps.
Israel's offensive has driven most of Gaza's 2.3 million people from their homes and the U.N. says a quarter of the population is starving.
Northern Gaza, including Gaza City, was the first target of the invasion and suffered widespread destruction. The military said late last year that it had dismantled most of Hamas' military infrastructure in the north and withdrew thousands of forces, but sporadic fighting has continued.
The north is the epicenter of Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe, with many residents reduced to eating animal feed. At least 20 people, mostly children, have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the north, the Health Ministry said earlier this month.
Airdrops by the U.S. and other nations continue, while deliveries on a new sea route have begun, but aid groups say it is essential that Israel open up more ground routes and ease restrictions to meet the mounting humanitarian needs.
"We are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at an international aid conference in Brussels. "Starvation is used as a weapon of war."
He went on to call for greater efficiency at the two functioning border crossings and for Israel to open additional ones.
"Israel has to do it. It is not a question of logistics. It is not because the United Nations has not provided enough support," he said. "The support is there, waiting. Trucks are stopped. People are dying, while the land crossings are artificially closed."
Israeli authorities say they place no limits on the entry of aid and accuse U.N. bodies of failing to distribute it in a timely manner, saying aid piles up on the Gaza side of the crossings. Aid groups say distribution is impossible in much of Gaza because of ongoing hostilities, the difficulty of coordinating with the military and the breakdown of law and order.
The international aid group Oxfam said Sunday that a "dysfunctional and undersized inspection system" snarls the entry of aid, with trucks stranded in long lines for 20 days on average The group says it has an entire warehouse filled with goods that were rejected, including oxygen, incubators and water and sanitation gear.
"Israeli authorities are not only failing to facilitate the international aid effort but are actively hindering it," Oxfam Mideast Director Sally Abi Khalil said.