Watan-CNN quoted eyewitnesses saying that Israeli occupation forces forced journalists and health workers to undress during the raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, in a new violation of human rights, continuing the ongoing crimes against Palestinians since October 17th last year.

A video report from the American network showed dozens of women and children crowded on stairs inside Al-Shifa Hospital, awaiting Israeli military instructions.

The report added that thousands of civilians were besieged there for 4 days while the Israeli army raided the hospital, targeting Palestinian militants alleged to be operating inside the medical complex.

The report further indicated that soldiers were everywhere, with a warning blaring over a loudspeaker: “If you leave the building, the soldiers will shoot you. We have warned you.”

According to the Israeli army’s claim, they came to rescue Israeli hostages and would allow them to leave. Shortly afterward, reports of evacuation operations began. The report alleged that the Israeli army “killed” more than 140 militants inside and around the hospital.

According to the Israeli narrative, the Israeli army managed to apprehend five fighters described as “senior terrorist operatives,” including “Hamadallah Hassan Ali,” “Hossam Salama,” “Wissam Salama,” “Omar Azaydeh,” and “Mahmoud Qawasma,” among over 600 “suspects” the Israeli army claimed to have arrested.

However, the Israeli army soon retracted identifying the individuals whose photos were published as Hamas affiliates. IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee tweeted that some individuals were mistakenly identified as arrested due to a “human error,” stating that “some of the published photos” were of individuals who hadn’t been arrested yet.

Yesterday evening, a photo was published by the IDF spokesperson revealing some of the vandals who were arrested during the past few days by the IDF forces in the Al-Shifa Hospital area.

Humiliating Interrogations

Palestinian reporters and hospital staff described to the network scenes of humiliating interrogations, where their colleagues were stripped of their clothes and left outside in the cold after the Israeli army besieged the largest hospital in the sector in the early hours of Monday morning.

One of the men who was arrested told CNN that the Israeli forces released him without his ID or mobile phone.

According to the source Ismail Al-Ghoul, a journalist with Al Jazeera, he and his team were detained for 12 hours, stripped of their underwear, and blindfolded the entire time, despite the rain and cold.

Another member of the team, Ahmed Al-Harazeen, said, “While we were sitting there, the Israeli army suddenly raided and arrested us. God protected us. And we were released.”

Hospital Statement

CNN received a statement from Dr. Marwan Abu Sada, head of the surgery department at Al-Shifa Hospital. Abu Sada was not at the hospital when the raid began on Monday. He said on Tuesday that his colleagues who were allowed to leave the hospital reported that Israeli forces had stormed most of the hospital buildings.

He said that the male medical staff were forced to undress and left “for hours in the cold,” confirming the accounts of other men who were released from the area.

In the statement shared by one of his colleagues with CNN, he said, “They were filming their faces with cameras and taking them one by one for a humiliating interrogation.”

Israel turned Al-Shifa Hospital into a battleground in November, when it carried out what it described as a “precise and targeted” operation on the compound. Doctors were forced to work by candlelight and wrap children in aluminum foil to keep them alive. Dozens of patients died due to power outages, according to a report released in November.