On October 27, the Hamas Islamist movement rejected the Israeli military's accusation that it was using hospitals as cover for its war efforts, calling the accusations baseless; the US newspaper cited the reason why Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu suddenly postponed the ground campaign.
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| Israeli soldiers patrol near the Gaza Strip. (Source: EPA) |
“What the spokesman for the opposing army claims is baseless,” said Izzat al-Rishq, a senior member of the Hamas politburo.
Mr al-Rishq accused Israel of making the accusations in order to "pave the way for a new massacre against our people".
The comments came as Israeli forces massed outside Gaza and conducted raids into the area in preparation for an expected ground offensive in retaliation for a deadly Hamas offensive on Israel that has killed some 1,400 people.
On the same day, October 27, the Israeli army accused Hamas of using hospitals in the Gaza Strip as command centers to direct attacks against Israel, while the war was raging in the Palestinian territory.
“Hamas has turned hospitals into command and control centers and hideouts for Hamas terrorists and commanders,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a press conference. Hagari presented photos, diagrams and audio recordings to demonstrate how Hamas is using the hospital system, and Al Shifa Hospital in particular, to conceal command posts and access to a vast network of tunnels in Gaza.
Meanwhile, on October 26, the New York Times reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in conflict with the country's military after he refused to approve a plan to launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
The US newspaper said that Israeli leaders have vowed to "wipe out" the Palestinian militant group Hamas in retaliation for the group's attack on October 7, but there is currently no agreement among top Israeli officials on how, when, or even whether to mobilize full force.
The Jewish state has called up some 360,000 reservists following the Hamas offensive and has been bombing Gaza for weeks, with several small-scale incursions into the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The New York Times even confirmed that the Israeli army could move as early as October 27.
According to the New York Times , the leadership of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has completed the attack plan, but Mr. Netanyahu refused to approve its implementation. The newspaper added that military officials are also prohibited from bringing recording devices into cabinet meetings.
The Hamas attack, the worst breach of national security against Israel in five decades, and the government's handling of the hostage situation have added to political pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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