The Israeli army has launched a complex operation to dislodge Hamas from the most important hospital in Gaza under which it is hiding. It left an exit door for the refugees but they are prevented by Hamas which uses them as “human shields”, according to the former head of mission at the UN.
The Israeli army announced on Wednesday November 15 that it was carrying out an operation “targeted” against Hamas members at al-Chifa hospital in the Gaza Strip. Announce the attack in advance, “that’s one way of saying” that Israel “respect the laws of war”, General Dominique Trinquand, former head of the French military mission to the UN, explained on franceinfo. For the former soldier, “this hospital is used by Hamas to protect its headquarters”, what “is totally prohibited in the law of war”, he says. Thousands of Gazans took refuge in this hospital, the largest in Gaza. The two camps are also waging a communications war. Hamas uses the presence of refugees as “human shields”but also “to show that Israel targets civilians”he explained.
franceinfo: Why does this hospital find itself at the heart of the conflict?
Dominique Trinquand: Because this hospital is used by Hamas to protect its CP. I’m not saying he’s in the hospital, but probably underneath. This is information that we have had for a very long time. In 2014, we already heard this denunciation.
“Hamas uses hospitals to protect itself, which is totally prohibited in the law of war, but which allows it to shelter behind civilian populations and behind a hospital, the most important in the region and which is normally protected by the Geneva Conventions.”
General Dominique Trinquand, former head of mission at the UNat franceinfo
This is American and Israeli intelligence that has been shared for several years and shared by Gazans. Everybody knows it.
Israel speaks of a strategic military site. Does that mean there are weapons, commandments?
There are probably commandments. Israel has released three-dimensional images of what it could be. I’m much more cautious about what was produced, but we are certain that there is a PC inside below the hospital with branches in the tunnels that go around it.
There are thousands of people who have taken refuge in this hospital. Operationally, is this a delicate mission for Israel?
Indeed, it is very complex because Israel wants to try to do as little damage to the population as possible. Israel surrounded the hospital, leaving an exit door. She asked people to leave, especially all the refugees who were in the hospital. They tried to come out with white flags and then probably Hamas shot them. They have not come out and continue to play their role as human shields. The second point, the hospital was not bombed. There were bombings that took place around, but not in the hospital because we must preserve lives inside the hospital. The third point is that we will have to dissociate the teams who will probably search under the hospital, the Hamas infrastructures and the teams who will go into the hospital to both take care of the sick, but check that there are no Hamas terrorists inside the hospital.
Israel has warned of its intentions to storm the hospital. Are these the codes of this war?
Yes. Israel warns that it will attack. It is a way for her to say that she respects the laws of war and that she warns the civilian populations so that they are not under the blows of the IDF. It’s been happening from the start. In this specific case, obviously, it is counter-intuitive because there is no element of surprise for the attack.
The whole world is watching this conflict. The informational issue is very important, as is the way in which the operation is reported in the media. Are both parties very careful about what they say?
Obviously, but in a way, Hamas is on the offensive. He knows that there are civilian populations. He uses it in his communication to show that Israel targets civilians. While we must remember that if the hospital is attacked, it is because Hamas used it as a CP. On the Israeli side, we are very, very careful to show the world population all the precautions they are taking in the assault on this Hamas structure.