Newly disclosed internal communications from Hamas reveal that the terrorist organization permitted several humanitarian groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Doctors Without Borders, to operate within the same medical facilities that Hamas militants used as command centers.
These groups have criticized Israeli operations on Gazan hospitals without acknowledging the presence of Hamas terrorists within these facilities.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, the ICRC "has chosen [to operate] in a wing inside Al-Shifa Hospital that is adjacent to the movements offices," as revealed by Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security in confidential internal communications in 2020.
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders "chose the only room in Abu Yousef El-Najar Hospital that has a [safe] communication landline," as stated in Arabic-language documents recently declassified by Israel and published in English for the first time by the NGO Monitor watchdog group.
The communications also reveal that Doctors Without Borders French affiliate utilized a hospital facility associated with "the positives activity," a reference to Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. At least 17 other international NGOsincluding the World Health Organization, several Doctors Without Borders affiliates, and the Norwegian Aid Committeewere identified as operating in various Gaza medical installations under Hamass authority.
While it is widely understood among Israel's supporters that Hamas-run hospitals essentially function as terrorist command centers, both the ICRC and Doctors Without Borders have consistently denied this reality, despite operating within these very buildings.
The ICRC has previously stated that strikes on hospitals "cause death and destruction and jeopardize vital lifelines for patients who have few sanctuaries left," and that medical facilities in combat zones "must be respected and protected," without acknowledging that these medical facilities also serve as terrorist headquarters.
Similarly, Doctors Without Borders issued a report accusing Israel of "dismantling" Gazas health care infrastructure and condemning the Jewish state for its "violent incursions in health facilities." However, like the ICRC, Doctors Without Borders failed to acknowledge the reasons behind Israel's military operations in Hamas-controlled buildings.
Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, finds it hard to believe that these nonprofit groups were oblivious to Hamass use of medical facilities, especially as many of them publicly criticized Israel for targeting the very civilian outposts in which the terror group embeds itself. The documents make it clear that Hamas exerts almost total control over Gazas humanitarian infrastructure and can choose who it allows to operate in the region.
Steinberg stated, "The evidence of complicity is blatant. This document exposes the hypocrisy of supposedly humanitarian international organizations like the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and the Norwegian Aid Committee (NORWAC). While repeatedly echoing Hamas allegations and condemning Israels operations to end the exploitation of hospitals for terror, these groups clearly knew that Hamas exploited these facilities, and chose to remain silent."
Hamas intentionally positioned ICRC and Doctors Without Borders workers within the same civilian infrastructure it used to conceal its own presence and lend an air of legitimacy to the medical facilities. Most of these locations had terror "operations taking place in them."
The documents also reveal that Hamas described medical facilities in Gaza as places of "gathering for many commanders of the movement and the government in times of escalation."
However, placing humanitarian organizations in the same locations as terrorists posed security concerns for Hamas. The terror group warned its members in March 2020 that "these facilities hold plenty of important information that can be utilized in security matters, and this is why it is important for hostile intelligence mechanisms to infiltrate the Ministry of Health [MoH]. They regard the Ministry of Health as a treasure chest for intelligence, especially at times of war."
Hamas cautioned its fighters against allowing nonprofit staff to come into contact with sensitive materials, as Israel and its Western allies had "shown a great interest" in medical facilities in Gaza. The terror group noted in a security analysis that "foreign presence in these facilities is considered important, and these [foreign intelligence] mechanisms cannot be negligent about this presence and using it for intelligence."
To avoid intelligence leaks, Hamas endeavored to place NGO staff "outside the main building of the clinic or hospital and far away from [Hamas] movements locations and [only] following security approval." The terror group kept a close watch on humanitarian staff after granting entry, with "[Hamas] security personnel present with health delegations as they move from place to place."
NGO Monitor's report states that the documents "expose a systematic Hamas strategy to militarize Gazas healthcare system, using hospitals and medical facilities as extensions of its military and security apparatus." The organization further noted that Gazas numerous medical centers "are not merely spaces of treatment, but rather they serve as hubs for Hamas leadership, gathering points for operatives, safe zones for wounded terrorists, and locations for secure communications infrastructure."
Earlier this year, the ICRC faced intense scrutiny after Hamas hostage release propaganda videos showed Red Cross staffers participating in ceremonies orchestrated by the terror group, which included armed militants parading emaciated Israelis across a stage.
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