U.S. Intelligence Confirms Hamas Used Gaza Hospital as Command Center

Declassified information supports claims that militants destroyed evidence in advance of Israeli raid, amid criticism of disproportionate response.

U.S. intelligence officials have declassified information supporting their assessment that Hamas militants used the al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza as a command center.
The intelligence shows that militants destroyed documents and electronics at the complex in advance of the Israel Defense Forces raid.
The U.S. intelligence assessment largely mirrored the Israeli military’s claims that al-Shifa was used as a command post.
Critics argue that Israel’s military operations against the complex were disproportionate to any threat posed by militants who may have been operating there.
Israel has vowed to end Hamas rule in Gaza, after thousands of militants burst into Israel early on the morning of Oct. 7, killing at least 1,200 people and taking more than 230 hostage.