IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari delivered an address to the media this evening (Monday) on the discovery of extensive terrorist infrastructure at the Rantisi Children's Hospital in Gaza.

"I just got back from Gaza, where I joined an operation inside the Rantisi Children's Hospital," he began. "I went to the hospital with a video camera and personally documented more concrete evidence. The concrete evidence proves that Hamas uses hospitals as an instrument of war."

"Underneath the hospital, in the basement, we found a Hamas command and control center, suicide bomb vests, grenades, AK-47 assault rifles, explosive devices, RPGs, and other weapons, computers, money, etc," he said.

Admiral Hagari said that the IDF found signs that Hamas held hostages at the hospital and that while the IDF is investigating the matter, "we also have intelligence that verifies it."

"Additionally, we found evidence that Hamas terrorists came from the massacre on October 7 to this hospital, among others, after butchering Israelis in their homes, executing the innocent, murdering entire families, burning babies, burning young women alive," he said, adding that Hamas "uses this children's hospital, Rantisi, to hide."

"Hamas hides in hospitals, today we will expose this to the world," he declared.

"For the last week, we have been conducting an effort to safely evacuate the patients being treated there and at other hospitals as well. Israel helped the hospital manager evacuate the patients to a safer hospital. Yesterday, we were informed by the hospital that the last 18 patients in the Rantisi Hospital had safely evacuated to a safer hospital.

בקבוק במרתף בית החולים
בקבוק במרתף בית החוליםצילום: דובר צה"ל

"This is because our war is against Hamas, not against the people in Gaza, especially not the sick, wounded, or the women or children. Our war is against Hamas, which uses them as human shields," he said.

Hagari showed footage proving that Hamas "runs its terror machine under hospitals in Gaza" by showing a tunnel at the hospital as well as Hamas infrastructure in the hospital's basement. In addition, a motorcycle of the kind used to bring kidnapped Israeli hostages to Gaza was found in the base, along with further signs that hostages were held there such as a baby bottle, ropes used to hold people in place, and an improvised toilet.