“Al-Shifa hospital was not used as a Hamas command center”
US intelligence formally confirmed that Hamas operated command-and-control infrastructure beneath Al-Shifa hospital; a second IDF raid in March 2024 found roughly 200 militants and a large weapons cache.
The claim
When Israel raided Al-Shifa hospital in November 2023, major outlets including the BBC ran headlines like "Israel has provided no evidence" that the hospital housed Hamas command infrastructure. The claim that Al-Shifa was purely a civilian hospital — and that Israel's assertions were unsubstantiated propaganda — was widely repeated.
What US intelligence concluded
Before the first raid, US intelligence agencies formally assessed that Hamas used Al-Shifa for command-and-control purposes. ABC News reported that US officials stated they were "convinced" of this assessment independent of Israeli claims. CNN reported a CIA assessment confirming Hamas military infrastructure beneath the hospital.
What IDF found inside
During the first raid (November 2023), Israeli forces filmed a tunnel shaft and weapons inside the hospital. Critics noted the find was less dramatic than expected — IDF had described an extensive multi-story bunker.
During the second raid (March 2024), the picture was much clearer: approximately 200 Hamas fighters were killed or captured inside the hospital complex, and a large weapons cache was seized — including rifles, RPGs, and explosives stored in medical facilities.
Why the first raid seemed underwhelming
US officials later explained that Hamas had likely evacuated the primary command center before the raid. Israeli officials said the same. This does not change the underlying intelligence conclusion that Hamas used Al-Shifa as military infrastructure — it means they moved before the cameras arrived.
Scale and intent — side by side
October 7 (Hamas): about 770–840 civilians killed in one day. Intent to kill civilians is documented — in Hamas's written orders ("kill as many people as possible"), its fighters' own footage, and its leaders' statements.
Gaza (Israel): civilian deaths in the tens of thousands over two years (the civilian share is disputed, roughly 60% to 83%). Israel's stated aim is to destroy Hamas; warnings and large aid volumes are documented, and several incidents have been acknowledged by the IDF as errors. Intent to kill civilians is alleged, and has not been established by any court.
Both facts matter, and neither cancels the other. Every party's alleged crimes, on one scale: War Crimes Ledger.