Over the last few days, the police learned that a number of Gazans who are in Israel illegally were staying at the Al-Makassed hospital in eastern Jerusalem.
This afternoon (Thursday), in a combined operation of the Jerusalem District Police and the Jerusalem Border Police at the hospital, 12 suspects who are in Israel illegally were arrested, including 11 residents of the Gaza Strip who are suspected to have stayed in the hospital during the past weeks in violation of the law.
Some of the arrested suspects are women who entered Israel with a permit for the purpose of accompanying a medical patient for humanitarian reasons, but the permits expired in August.
When the police entered the hospital, they noticed a woman who matched the description of one of the suspects. The woman attempted to escape towards a room inside the emergency department of the hospital without success - there the police discovered eight residents of the Gaza Strip, including seven women.
One of the suspects is the sister of an operative of Hamas' military wing.
A container was found in the hospital cafeteria that had been converted into a makeshift bedroom for four people, including three men who are residents of Gaza.
All of the suspects were being housed at the hospital without any medical need for hospitalization.
All of the suspects were taken to the Shalem police station for questioning. The deputy director of the hospital was summoned for questioning on suspicion of sheltering illegal infiltrators.