IDF admits it is operating in Khan Yunis hospital after initial denial

The IDF on Sunday issued conflicting updates about its actions regarding Khan Yunis hospitals, initially denying it was involved in an operation against two hospitals, despite Palestinian reports, but later admitting that it was initiating takeovers of those hospitals.

By Sunday night, an IDF spokesperson acknowledged that operations were underway to take over the hospitals and arrest or kill large numbers of terrorists, much like the military has carried out against Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza throughout the last week.

A statement the IDF put out at 6:44 p.m. said that specific intelligence obtained by the IDF and the Shin Bet had led to the operation against the Al-Amal Hospital.

There was still no specific mention of the Nasser Hospital, but the IDF statement referenced multiple hospitals and warned Hamas not to use such facilities for hiding or prosecuting the war lest the IDF be required to come after them there.

Further, the IDF said that it balances its actions in favor of Israeli security with the need to follow the limits of the use of force under international law regarding protected civilian areas, such as hospitals.

Earlier Sunday Morning, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that Israeli forces were besieging two Gaza hospitals, pinning down medical teams under heavy gunfire.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said one of its staff was killed when Israeli tanks suddenly pushed back into areas around Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis amid heavy bombardment and gunfire.

It was unclear where this occurred or whether it was connected to more standard ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas, or whether it was a precursor to the invasion of the Al-Amar Hospital.

Reuters reported on Sunday that Israeli armored forces sealed off Al-Amal Hospital and carried out extensive bulldozing operations in its vicinity, with the Red Crescent issuing a statement, adding: "All of our teams are in extreme danger at the moment and are completely immobilized."

It said Israeli forces were now demanding the complete evacuation of staff, patients, and displaced people from Al Amal's premises and were firing smoke bombs into the area to force out its occupants.

At the time, the Israeli military only admitted that its forces were hitting "infrastructure" in Khan Yunis, used as gathering points, and denied issuing evacuation orders to the hospitals.

Reuters has been unable to access Gaza's contested hospital areas and verify accounts by either side.

In Rafah, Gaza's southernmost town, which has become a place of refuge for half of the Strip's uprooted population, an Israeli air strike on a house killed seven people, Hamas health officials claimed. The IDF did not issue a specific statement regarding that claimed attack, but there have been ongoing limited targeted strikes on Hamas in Rafah.

Meanwhile, IDF and Shin Bet forces continued targeted operations in the area of Shifa Hospital, the military said on Sunday.

Troops of the 401st and Shayetet 13 under the command of the 162nd Division continued fighting in the area while seeking to avoid harming civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment, the IDF added.

Military achievements this week

An IDF statement said that the fighters have arrested some 480 terrorists affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad over the course of the week and have found weapons and terror infrastructure.

It was unclear what the IDF did with hundreds of others it had arrested, given earlier public arrest numbers of over 800.

At different times, different IDF officials have said all of those arrested remained arrested and were terrorists, with some affiliated with Hamas and some not having a specific affiliation, while others have suggested that those not affiliated with a specific terror group may have been released.

In the north and center of the Gaza Strip, air force jets attacked some 65 targets between Saturday and Sunday, including an attack tunnel, armed terrorists in military positions, and other military infrastructure.

In the Beit Hanoun area, IDF aircraft attacked Hamas assets that threatened IDF ground forces operating in the area.

In the center of the Strip, troops of the Nahal Brigade killed several terrorists. IDF forces identified two terrorists in their sector and eliminated them via sniper fire, the military noted.

Furthermore, troops found and raided a drone manufacturing laboratory. IDF forces confronted the terrorists outside the building and eliminated them, the IDF added.

In southern Gaza, troops of the 7th Brigade killed several terrorists via sniper fire. Under the direction of the brigade's fighters, engineering forces found and destroyed a pit for launching rockets.

In Khan Yunis, an aircraft attacked terror assets that served as a meeting point for several terrorists who were in the building at the time of the attack.

It was unclear if these Khan Yunis operations overlapped with the reports of fighting nearby the hospitals.