Israeli armed forces, disguised as Muslim women and sporting fake beards, stormed into a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, January 30, and killed three Palestinian militants undergoing treatment.
The Palestinian Health Ministry condemned the raid and sought international pressure to coerce Israel’s military to put an end to such unethical operations in hospitals. The Israeli forces opened fire inside the wards of the Ibn Sina Hospital in the town of Jenin, the ministry said.
A hospital spokesperson asserted that there was no exchange of fire, indicating that it was a targeted killing.
Meanwhile, the military claimed that the militants were using the hospital as a hideout. However, without backing the claim with evidence, they alleged that one of the targeted militants was planning an imminent attack inspired by Hamas’ assault on southern Israel on October 7.
The security camera video from the hospital revealed about a dozen undercover Israeli troops, dressed as Muslim women and hospital staff in white coats, proceeding through the hospital corridor with assault rifles. Moreover, the forces were seen frisking a man held against the wall with his arms raised.
Following the video’s circulation on social media, Israel has come under heavy criticism for its immoral raids on hospitals in Gaza, where the displaced people are seeking shelter during Israel’s critical onslaught on Gaza.
Despite Gaza’s feeble healthcare system, the hospitals are filled with scores of wounded patients. With the perpetual fighting around and inside the hospitals, Israel has put the health care system in Gaza on the brink of collapse.
On the contrary, Israel claims that militants use hospitals, especially in Gaza, as hideouts or to launch operations. They also allege that there are underground tunnels in the vicinity of hospitals. The Israeli military claims that there are weapons and vehicles in these tunnels that were used in the October 7 attack.
Since Israel launched its brutal attack on the Gaza strip through air, land, and sea, more than 26,000 people have been killed and over 65,000 people have been wounded, according to Palestine’s Health Ministry. The ministry also states that about two-thirds of the dead are either women or minors.
