Hamas official: Importance of terror commanders detained at Shifa Hospital should not be underestimated

An unnamed Hamas official tells Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper that the significance of the commanders from the terror group who have been detained or killed during the Israel Defense Forces’ ongoing operation at Shifa Hospital should not be underestimated.

“Nobody should underestimate the size of the infiltration carried out by the enemy army at Al-Shifa Hospital, nor underestimate the importance of the figures who were arrested or executed,” the source tells the outlet, which is linked to the Hezbollah terror group.

“The [Palestinian] resistance dealt with the current situation and was able to reshape its ranks, given the possibility that the enemy would obtain new information as a result of the investigation of the detainees,” the source says. “There are indications that the resistance is still fine, and that all the current losses can be absorbed and coexisted with.”

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said last week that there were “very significant” senior Hamas commanders who were captured by troops at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital. He did not detail their identities due to their ongoing interrogations.

Troops raided the hospital, the largest medical center in the Gaza Strip, after Israeli intelligence indicated that Hamas operatives, including commanders, had returned to the complex to use it as a command center for planning attacks against Israel and troops in Gaza. It was previously raided by the military in November.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.