Hamas: Israel's claim about captives aimed at covering up its 'security, military failure'

The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, has dismissed Israel's allegation about Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital being used by the movement to keep the captives it captured during a surprise operation against the regime last month.

The movement's statement came after earlier on Sunday, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari played two videos, which he claimed showed several captives being brought to the hospital after the October 7 operation by Palestinian resistance groups that led to the capture of hundreds of Israeli soldiers and settlers.

"There is nothing new in what the Zionist military spokesman said except an attempt to cover up their lies and [to corroborate] their claim that Hamas has used al-Shifa Hospital as a military headquarters for command and control," the movement said.

Hamas added that the health condition of injured Israeli captives is constantly monitored and treatment is provided to them in hospitals, after which they return "to their places of detention."

The movement said it only took the captives to the hospital "because some of them were wounded in airstrikes" by Israel, which also killed a number of captives as the movement's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, had already announced.

The brigades' spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said in early November that more than 60 Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip were lost due to the regime's incessant airstrikes against the blockaded territory. He added that the bodies of 23 captives were also trapped under the rubble of the buildings and structures that were destroyed by the Israeli strikes.

Al-Qassam Brigades: Over 60 Israeli captives lost due to regime's airstrikes

The military wing of Hamas says more than 60 Israeli captives in Gaza are lost due to the regime

Elsewhere in its Sunday statement, Hamas said, "We have released images of all that and the [Israeli] army spokesman is acting as if he has discovered something incredible."

The Israeli regime started the war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory's resistance groups carried out the surprise Operation al-Aqsa Storm against Israel in response to the regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinian people.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 13,000 Palestinians, including more than 5,000 children, have so far been killed, and about 30,000 people have been injured.

Al-Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital, has taken the brunt of the Israeli regime's attacks on healthcare targets since the beginning of the war.

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"We affirm that the occupation is not qualified to investigate and issue judgments. It is the aggressor party and has committed war crimes against hospitals,"  Hamas noted, referring to the regime knocking dozens of Gaza's hospitals out of service since the onset of the war.

Hamas added, "We have repeatedly called for the formation of an international committee to investigate the occupation’s lies about the hospitals, which the Nazi occupation has turned into military barracks after emptying them of patients and medical staff by force of arms and threats."

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