It appears that it was already moved to another location before entering the IDF.
“We are getting closer” to progress in hostage release negotiations.
As the Israeli military has been searching Al Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, for a second day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the legitimacy of the operation, saying there were significant signs that hostages were being held at the hospital.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS on the 16th (local time), “There were strong indications that hostages were being held at Al Shifa Hospital, and that was one of the reasons we entered the hospital.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “If the hostage had been there, we would have brought it out,” and that when the Israeli military arrived at the hospital, it had already been moved to another location.
While it is understood that approximately 240 hostages are currently being held by Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the Israeli government “has information regarding the hostages.” However, he refrained from talking about specific details, saying, “The less said (in this regard) the better.”
While Israel and Hamas are known to be negotiating a plan to release women and children hostages in exchange for a cessation of fighting for three to five days, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the release talks are “closer than before the start of the ground war,” and that ground operations in the Gaza Strip are “closer to Hamas.” evaluated as having put pressure on the
He then said, “If we can bring the hostages, we will be able to establish a temporary ceasefire,” but declined to say anything, saying, “It would not serve the purpose for me to explain this in more detail.” He also drew a line at whether to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a hostage exchange, calling it “confidential.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “We are working to eliminate Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties,” and reiterated, “We are not trying to occupy the Gaza Strip.”
At the same time, he emphasized, “We want overall military responsibility to prevent the recurrence of terrorism,” and “Our goal is to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, not to occupy it.” He also argued that only when Palestine is liberated from Hamas will its people be given a true future.
However, in relation to the ‘two-state solution’, he opposed the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s rule over the Gaza Strip, saying, “We need civilian leadership different from that currently provided to Palestine.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the previous day that it had “conducted a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specific area” and discovered weapons from the Hamas command center in the basement of Al-Shifa Hospital. Hamas countered that it was false.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.