The IDF and Shin Bet released on Saturday afternoon footage from investigations of two terrorists who infiltrated Israel on October 7 and provided further evidence of Hamas operatives using hospitals in the Gaza Strip to shield themselves from IDF strikes.
During his interrogation, Amer Abu Awash, a member of Hamas's elite Nukhba force, was asked about the connection between hospitals in Gaza and the Palestinian enclave's vast system of subterranean tunnels, to which he responded, “most of them are hidden in the hospitals. (At) Shifa for example (the hospital), there are underground levels… Shifa is not small, it is a big place that can be used to hide things."
Abu Awash is then asked by the interrogator about why Hamas was using medical institutions, such as hospitals and clinics, for protection, to which he answered, “you won’t strike them.” He explains that Hamas is taking advantage of the fact that Israel won’t strike hospitals to smuggle “explosives, weapons, food, medical equipment” for their operatives. “I told you, Shifa is a safe place, it will not be struck. To them it is safe, that’s what we know.” Abu Awash also expressed criticism of Hamas when asked about the fuel situation in Gaza. "First, they take care of their own cars and jeeps and then distribute them to the people. They refuel from full containers for themselves," he said.
When questioned if Gazans have freedom of movement, he responded, "No. You can't go to Egypt without their (Hamas) permission." Hassan Zaarab told his interrogator that his a medic for the military wing of the organization, and that during the October 7 attack, he operated in Kibbutz Sufa near the Gaza border. He was then asked about Hamas’s use of hospitals, and replied that “the Shifa hospital, they’re using it, they’re hiding there.”