Media analysis shows Israeli strikes hit Gaza’s hospital civilian facilities, not underground targets

London: Based on a review of video and photo evidence, the New York Times concluded that Israeli strikes on Friday, Nov. 10, targeted areas of Al-Shifa hospital, including its courtyard, an outpatient clinic, and a fifth-floor maternity ward, without appearing to target underground infrastructure.

The article in the newspaper coincides with increasing international pressure on Israel to stop attacking civilian sites in Gaza, including hospitals.

The Israeli military has declared on multiple occasions that it has proof that the biggest hospital in Gaza has tunnels beneath it and that Hamas set up a command centre there. Because of this, it has been a major focus of the military's action to the Hamas strikes on Israel on October 7. Officials at the hospital refute the accusations, and Hamas has declared that it does not exploit medical facilities for military purposes.

Seven individuals were killed in the early hours of Friday morning strikes that affected multiple areas of the hospital, according to hospital officials. At least ten deaths were reported by local media outlets. A "misfired projectile" intended for Israeli forces struck the hospital instead, Israel claimed, placing the responsibility on Palestinian militants.

However, according to information gathered by the New York Times and examined by specialists, Israeli artillery "did not appear to be targeting underground infrastructure" when it struck Al-Shifa. The publication stated that "two of the most severe strikes hit upper floors of the maternity ward" in an article that was released on Tuesday.

Its results were supported by images of weapon fragments that the newspaper gathered and examined, along with an examination of video footage shot on Friday by Gazan journalists Ahmed Hijazee and Motasem Mortaja, as well as social media influencer Saleh Al-Jafarawi.

At least three of the projectiles that hit Al-Shifa seemed to be Israeli weapons, according to the experts who examined the evidence. Videos appear to show that they were fired from places north and south of the hospital, where Israeli forces were positioned.

A strike struck the fifth floor of a maternity unit at the hospital sometime after two in the morning on Friday, according to videos and images obtained by the New York Times.

About an hour and a half later, a missile struck a busy outpatient clinic entrance, resulting in an explosion. According to the NY Times, a video shot by journalist Hijazee featured "chaotic scenes of men, women, and children wounded in the strike," as well as two children who appeared to be dead on the ground, Arab News reported.

Thousands of women and children among the fleeing Gazans had sought sanctuary at the hospital since the Israeli assault on the besieged region started last month. Thousands of people went south after Friday's strikes, but hundreds of people, including hospital employees and patients, are still there.

The Israel Defence Forces "declined to comment on the evidence," stating that "specific military activity currently underway, we are unable to address or confirm specific queries," according to a report published in the New York Times.

This week, in what they called a "precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area," Israeli troops conducted an early-morning raid on Al-Shifa on Wednesday. Local media reports state that approximately 100 commandos inspected the buildings' rooms while six tanks were stationed in the medical complex's courtyard.

The World Health Organisation lost touch with its staff at the hospital on Wednesday and stated that it was "extremely worried" about the doctors and patients there.