Hamas militants hide inside Gaza hospitals, Palestinians confirm in IDF video; hostage relatives rebut Israel minister

Israel-Hamas war: The war has entered the second month since the deadly attack on October 7 that killed around 1,200 Israelis.

The Israeli troops have made hospitals in Gaza Strip their main target as they continue to carry out the ground incursion into the besieged Palestinian enclave. Hospitals play a prominent role in the battle of narratives over the war's brutal toll on Palestinian civilians.

Israeli soldiers work on armored military vehicles along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel.(AP)

The Gazan health ministry said Israeli military struck the Indonesian Hospital situated in the northern region which killed 12 people, a claim denied by Israel saying its troops returned fire on militants who targeted them from inside the 3.5-acre (1.4 hectare) compound.

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Israel's war against Hamas, a designated terror group by the United States (US) and European Union (EU), has entered the second month since the deadly attack on October 7 that killed around 1,200 Israelis and held around 240 others captive in Gaza.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Gaza civilians have confirmed that ‘a lot of’ militants had operated in hospitals hiding as medical personnel. Israel has been claiming that Hamas uses civilians as human shields and that the militants operated a major command hub inside and under Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza.

1. IDF said over 500 Palestinians have been interrogated by its Arabic-speaking members of intelligence group Unit 504.
2. Three of the Palestinians explained in a video, released by IDF, how terrorists from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other groups would hide in the Shifa and Rantisi hospitals – dressed in civilian clothes. They would also disguise themselves as medical staff while hiding in the hospital.
3. Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said during a conference that the creation of a Palestinian state would be the best way to ensure Israel's security. “Despite the huge challenges, we have to advance our reflections on the stabilization of Gaza and the future Palestinian state,” he said, as reported by Times of Israel.
4. The White House believe that the deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza is getting closer. US President Joe Biden said on Monday that an accord on the release of hostages is near.
5. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with relatives of those held captive in Gaza and member of his war cabinet. He reiterated his commitment to ensuring their release, calling it “a sacred and suprme mission”.
6. Meanwhile, the meeting was marked by disorder as some family member were denied entry to the designated auditorium citing the limited capacity.
7. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the death penalty, which is dormant on Israel's law books.
8. Some relatives said they were “very disappointed” after meeting war cabinet members as they fear jeopardising safety of 240 individuals if capital punishment is given to captured Hamas militants. “Don't pursue this until after they are back here,” said one relative. “Don't put my sister's blood on your hands.”
9. The Israeli troops assisted the UN peacekeeping members in evacuating 28 premature babies from Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital, where several others died after their incubators were turned off amid collapse of medical services in the hospital during earlier attacks by Israeli troops.