IDF raid on Jabalya hospital: 240 arrests and Hamas weapons seized – Israel News

IDF said on Sunday that – if ordered – it would extend Jabalya’s isolation from Gaza City.

While both Jabalya and Gaza City are largely part of the north aerateJabalya, along with Beit Hanun and Beit Lahiya, is part of the northernmost half of northern Gaza, which has been progressively emptied of most Palestinian terrorists and civilians alike since early October.

In early October, tens of thousands of Palestinians were evacuated to Gaza City and further south, while large numbers of Hamas terrorists were also killed.

IDF evacuates patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza Strip (IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

The IDF then returned to a smaller scale, mopping up the operations of smaller terrorist cells for much of the past two months, both due to global criticism and having exhausted the main Hamas areas to attack at the time,

However, on Friday the IDF, in coordination with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), broke this pattern by arresting more than 240 terrorists in an operation aimed at the latest attempt by Hamas to reconstitute itself in the north Gases, mostly incorporated in Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalya.

IDF soldiers arrest terror suspects and evacuate patients from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

In the weeks leading up to the operation, the IDF had already begun clearing improvised explosive devices in the vicinity of the hospital, as well as most of the roads and potential escape routes to and from the hospital.

Furthermore, the IDF engaged in three to four targeted attacks on smaller Hamas cells near the hospital, but were careful to avoid attacking the hospital itself.

IDF strategy

It was all part of an IDF strategy to lull Hamas terrorists holed up in the hospital into a false sense of security.

When the IDF finally attacked on Friday, it took only an hour to surround all routes to and from the hospital to block and block any escape attempts by Hamas terrorists.

There was a brief initial battle between Hamas terrorists and IDF soldiers, but all of these terrorists were quickly killed.

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Two groups of terrorists also tried to escape in two different directions, but were also killed by IDF forces, who surrounded them.

The IDF officers then summoned the hospital director and explained to him the process of evacuating patients and detaining terrorists posing as patients.

Shortly thereafter, hundreds of Palestinians walked out of the hospital into an isolated corridor where all individuals could be checked. In the first ambulance of “patients”, the IDF found that 13 out of 21 passengers were not injured and were terrorists posing as patients to try to escape from custody. They and many others were arrested one by one.

Gazan patients and civilians are evacuated from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip after the IDF clears Hamas terrorists from the area. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

In addition, the IDF suggested that among those who were arrested, valuable information about the remaining Israeli hostages may have been obtained, although, as always in such cases, the military cannot disclose any specific information.

Prior to the operation, the IDF facilitated the evacuation of 350 patients, caregivers and medical staff from the hospital in recent weeks, working closely with COGAT. During this period, tens of thousands of liters of fuel, food and medical supplies were delivered to ensure the unit’s essential operation, the IDF said.

Gazan civilians were evacuated from Kamal Adwan Hospital after the IDF cleared Hamas terrorists from the area. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

On the day of the operation, another 95 patients and staff members were moved to the Indonesian Hospital with the assistance of local health authorities. The IDF also provided 5,000 liters of fuel, two generators and medical equipment to maintain critical systems at the Indonesian Hospital. Hundreds of civilians were evacuated through defined safety routes.

The IDF’s 401st Brigade surrounded the hospital, detained nearby terrorists and eliminated those who resisted arrest and threatened the troops.

Inside the hospital, Shayetet 13 special forces discovered and confiscated an arsenal of weapons, including grenades, firearms and other military equipment. During the operation, the terrorists tried to launch anti-tank missiles and RPG attacks, but were eliminated by the soldiers. The Israeli Air Force also eliminated terrorists who were trying to flee the area.

The IDF added that the weapons arsenal in the hospital was smaller than in other Hamas-run hospitals because Hamas had adapted to hospital invasions and moved much of its weaponry to apartments across the street from the hospital. These weapons were also seized separately.

No IDF casualties were reported during the mission.

Hundreds of terror suspects arrested

In total, the IDF detained more than 240 people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, some of whom tried to disguise themselves as patients or escape using ambulances. Among those detained was the hospital’s director, suspected of being a Hamas operative, along with other key Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures, including 15 people linked to the October 7 massacre.

Testimony gathered by Unit 504 and the ISA revealed that many detainees had participated in terrorist operations in the area.

The IDF reiterated its commitment to adhere to international law regarding medical facilities, even when such facilities are being exploited by Hamas for military purposes.

Gaza’s Health Ministry, run by Hamas, announced just hours earlier that the hospital’s director, Hussam Abu Safiya, had been arrested by the IDF during the raid.

The raid on the hospital, one of three medical facilities on the northern edge of Gaza, knocked out the last major health facility in northern Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a post on X on Friday.

Hamas claims that the Indonesian Hospital, where the IDF transferred fuel as well as medical personnel and supplies, is not in service.