Alleged military use of al-Shifa hospital

Al-Shifa Hospital is a government-run hospital in Gaza City, Palestine; most of the staff are employees of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. During the Gaza war, Israel and the United States stated that several complexes existed under Al-Shifa Hospital, which was being used by Hamas as its "main operations base," a claim that Hamas and hospital administrators denied. International law prohibits the targeting of hospitals unless there is evidence it is used for a military purpose that is "harmful to the enemy", as well as the use of human shields for combatants; both constitute war crimes.

Following Israel's release of video allegeding to show Hamas tunnels under the hospital on 22 November, multiple news agencies concluded that the evidence did not demonstrate the use by Hamas of a command center. Amnesty International said on 23 November 2023 that they have "so far not seen any credible evidence to support Israel’s claim that al-Shifa is housing a military command centre" and that "the Israeli military has so far failed to provide credible evidence" for the allegation. Izzat al-Risheq, a Hamas official, denied that the group used the hospital as a shield for its underground military structures, saying there was no truth to the claims. A later report in February 2024 by the New York Times, confirmed the existence of underground tunnels and cited classified Israeli intelligence material suggesting that Hamas did use the hospital as cover.

Israel has been accused of waging a propaganda war to detract from accusations that its actions at al-Shifa constitute violations of international law. Medical staff at al-Shifa have accused Israel of directly causing the deaths of civilians being treated at al-Shifa, including prematurely born babies. The head of the World Health Organization called the November raid on the hospital "totally unacceptable".

Following the end of the Al-Shifa Hospital siege, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for an independent investigation, stating "This is precisely where you need an independent international investigation, because we have different narratives, you cannot use ... hospitals, for any military purposes. But you also cannot attack a hospital in the absence of clear evidence." A raid in March 2024 saw Israeli and Hamas forces engaged in crossfire at the hospital.