The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released intelligence last Thursday showing that Hamas runs interrogation and torture facilities inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, using the medical complex as part of its internal security apparatus against Gaza residents. According to Israeli security officials, the activity has expanded amid Hamas fears of eroding public support and losing its grip on the population.
2+According to the intelligence, interrogations are conducted by Hamas internal security and military intelligence operatives on the second floor of the Yassin Building within the hospital complex, in the outpatient clinic area. The IDF claims the organization uses the facility for governance purposes unrelated to medical care, including interrogations, torture, and collecting money. Nasser Hospital continues to serve as a central Hamas infrastructure hub in southern Gaza, Israeli security officials said. Patients and staff are exposed to a constant presence of Hamas operatives in various areas of the hospital, some of them masked, according to the intelligence.
2+Security officials note that one interrogation center operates in a building that has changed its purpose over the years: it initially served as hospital offices, then as a cafeteria, and later as a prayer room. Today, according to the intelligence, Hamas uses it for interrogations. The IDF claims Hamas’s use of the hospital complex creates an atmosphere of fear. It harms patients and medical staff, and it’s part of a broader pattern of exploiting civilian infrastructure throughout the Strip for the organization’s purposes. They added that military use of hospitals and medical facilities violates international law, and warned that Hamas is also using schools and other civilian facilities amid fears of losing control of the Strip.
2+According to Israeli security officials, the intelligence points to what they say is a Hamas attempt to increase pressure on Gaza’s population through intimidation mechanisms, interrogations, and punishment, against the backdrop of signs of erosion in its standing among residents.