JERUSALEM – Israeli troops raided the compound of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital early on March 18 in an operation that Palestinian health authorities said caused multiple casualties and set off a fierce fire in one of the buildings.

The military said soldiers were conducting a “precise operation” based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by senior Hamas leaders, and were fired upon when they entered the compound.

“The troops responded with live fire and hits were identified. Our troops are continuing to operate in the area of the hospital,” it added.

Al-Shifa, the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital before the war, is now one of the few healthcare facilities that are even partially operational in the north of the territory, and is also housing hundreds of displaced civilians.

“Suddenly, we started to hear sounds of explosions, several bombings, and soon tanks started to roll, they came from the western road and headed towards Al-Shifa, then sounds of gunfire and explosions increased,” Mr Mohammad Ali, 32, a father of two, who lives around 1km from the hospital, told Reuters via a chat app.

“We don’t know what is happening, but it looked as if it was a re-invasion of the Gaza City,” he added, saying that the military activities began at around 1am (7am Singapore time).

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said a fire broke out at the entrance of the complex, causing cases of suffocation among displaced women and children in the hospital. It said communications had been cut off, with people trapped inside the surgery and emergency units of one of the buildings.

“There are casualties, including deaths and injuries, and it’s impossible to rescue anyone due to the intensity of the fire and targeting of anyone approaching the windows,” the ministry said.

The Israeli army dropped new leaflets around the hospital in Gaza City.

“To all those who exist or are displaced in Rimal and the displaced in Al-Shifa and its vicinity: You are in a dangerous combat zone. The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is operating hard in its residential areas to destroy terror infrastructure,” said the statement, which ordered people to take the coastal road towards Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

The military issued grainy drone footage of the operation, which it said showed troops coming under fire from a number of buildings in the hospital complex.

Footage circulated on social media appeared to show an Israeli tank blocking Al-Shifa’s main gate.

The military said troops had been instructed on the importance of operating cautiously, as well as on measures to be taken to avoid harm to patients, civilians, medical staff and medical equipment, and added that patients were not required to evacuate.

Hamas said in a statement that the Israeli military had committed a new crime by directly targeting the hospital buildings without caring about patients, medical staff or displaced people in it.

Israel came under fierce fire in 2023 when its troops first raided the hospital, where they uncovered tunnels nearby that they said were used as command and control centres by Hamas.

Hamas and medical staff deny the hospital has been used for military purposes or to shelter fighters. REUTERS