Ninety terrorists killed, over 300 interrogated at Shifa battlefield

Israeli special forces are continuing an operation launched early Monday to root out a resurgent Hamas presence at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, so far killing 90 terrorists and interrogating more than 300 in the compound.

More than 160 of the suspects have been transferred to Israel for further questioning, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which is conducting the joint operation along with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

The Shin Bet announced that soldiers operating at Shifa captured Mahmoud Qawasmeh, a senior Hamas operative responsible for planning the 2014 kidnapping and murder near Hebron of Israeli teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel.

The murders led to the IDF’s “Operation Protective Edge” against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Over the past day, the troops have eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams and medical equipment,” the IDF said.

Qawasmeh had been exiled to Gaza as part of the 2011 Shalit prisoner exchange deal but continued to work on attacks in Judea and Samaria, including shooting attacks carried out by Hamas cells in recent years.

According to Palestinian reports, Israeli forces operating in the area of the medical complex on Wednesday also arrested Khaled al-Batash, a senior member of Islamic Jihad‘s political wing.

Furthermore, an Israeli Air Force craft on Tuesday struck an operational Hamas terror tunnel shaft after a launch was identified from northern Gazan at the southern Israeli city of Sderot.

Also in northern Gaza, in Jabalia, six terrorists were eliminated in an Israeli strike.

In the central Strip, an IDF sniper killed a terrorist.

Troops continue to be active in southern Gaza, killing two terrorists and attacking “military” sites in Al-Qarara, near Khan Yunis, and striking a terrorist who was loading weapons.