by Jonathan Landay and Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. intelligence officials believe Hamas and Islamic Jihad used Gaza’s Al Chifa Hospital to conduct operations and hold hostages, but largely evacuated the hospital complex within a few days. days before Israeli troops entered it, a US official said Tuesday, citing publicly released intelligence.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the United States had independently confirmed the information, although intelligence services had not provided any proof.
Israel claimed that Hamas used Al Chifa Hospital as a command center and to store weapons; his forces entered the hospital complex in November.
The U.S. government believes Hamas used the hospital and sites beneath it as a command and control center, storing weapons and holding hostages, the U.S. official said.
US intelligence obtained information that Hamas fighters had largely evacuated the hospital complex days before the Israeli operation and that they had destroyed documents and electronic devices as they left, the US official said .
(Reporting Jonathan Landay, with contribution from Kanishka Singh; French version Camille Raynaud)
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