Muhammad Abu Ismail targeted alongside additional Hamas terrorists
The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said they carried out a precise aerial strike overnight Thursday against Muhammad Abu Ismail, identified as the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, and additional Hamas military-wing terrorists operating inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
According to the joint statement, Abu Ismail oversaw the brigade’s terrorists and directed them to advance and carry out attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians. He was also responsible for holding numerous hostages captive throughout the war.
The IDF and Shin Bet said the terrorists had turned the hospital compound into a headquarters, using it to advance dozens of terrorist plots against Israeli troops and rebuild the brigade’s military capabilities after significant damage during the war. They said the strike was intended to remove the threat the terrorists posed.
The IDF said it would provide further updates on the strike’s results.
IDF and Shin Bet detail Hamas’ military use of the hospital
The agencies said Hamas stored weapons and operated command-and-control rooms within the hospital complex. They also said Hamas’ internal security and intelligence services conducted interrogations and torture there, while terrorists used hospital facilities as observation posts and shelters.
The IDF and Shin Bet strongly condemned Hamas’ exploitation of civilian and medical infrastructure for military and terrorist activities against Israeli troops and the State of Israel. They described those activities as a blatant violation of international law that endangered patients, medical personnel and civilians.
The IDF also shared an illustration and a graphic depicting the hospital where it said the terrorists were hiding, along with a graphic illustrating what it described as Hamas’ use of hospitals in Gaza for terrorist purposes.
