Fact or Fiction? IDF Animation Shows Alleged Hamas HQ Underneath Gaza Hospital

Israel has so far held off on launching a ground invasion of Gaza amid fears of large-scale losses, sticking to a campaign of air and artillery strikes on the besieged 365 sq. km strip of land. Major powers, including Russia, China, and Iran, have called for an urgent ceasefire. The US rejected the idea, citing Israel’s right to “self-defense.”

The Israeli military has released 3D-rendered footage showing the alleged extent of a Hamas headquarters it says is burrowed deep underneath the Al-Shifa Hospital – the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip.

The video, published by COGAT, a unit of the Ministry of Defense tasked with “coordinating civilian issues” between the government, military, international organizations, and the Palestinian Authority, shows a vision of an alleged massive underground complex underneath the hospital, including a vast network of tunnels, conference rooms, arms and fuel caches, and even a makeshift weapons factory.

Judging by the rendered footage, tunnels borrow up to dozens of meters underneath the grey and white hospital building.

Alongside the rendered video, COGAT also published a map of the Shifa Hospital complex alongside what it says are underground Hamas facilities, including a command and control center.

Al-Shifa and other Gaza hospitals have become overwhelmed, overcrowded, and dangerous amid Israel’s campaign of air and artillery strikes on the territory following Hamas' October 7 surprise attack on southern Israel. The IDF was forced to go into damage control last week after an attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on October 17 that killed over 470 people, denying responsibility and claiming that a rocket fired from inside Gaza was to blame. Gazan officials have dismissed these allegations, and accused Tel Aviv of shirking its responsibility for possible “war crimes.”

While COGAT’s claims about Al-Shifa’s use as a Hamas HQ have not been independently validated, Gaza is known to be home to a vast network of Hamas tunnels, which many observers have said would be a “nightmare” for the IDF to have to fight through in the event of a ground invasion.

Earlier this week, a “well-informed” US official told veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that Israel was considering flooding Hamas’ underground tunnel network before launching a ground offensive. Some ex-Israeli officials dismissed the idea, while others have suggested it would be a good “lesson” for the Palestinian militant group.