The underground: The surprising history of Israel's use of Al-Shifa Hospital

Amidst claims that Hamas has significant command centers in tunnels beneath Al-Shifa Hospital, the Israeli military insisted on surrounding and targeting the hospital until its evacuation.

Dozens of casualties were reported, with many dying due to power outages and oxygen outages.

Built by the British in 1946, Al-Shifa Hospital is the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's strategic use of the hospital is rooted in its history, as it served as a military governor's headquarters during the 1967 occupation. Notably, in 1980, Israel constructed the ground floor as a trench and shelter for leadership, maintaining its use until the last day of the Gaza withdrawal in 2005.

While some Israelis were aware of these details, the revelation came as a surprise to CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour during an interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

The Intercept website, citing Tablet magazine, reveals that Israel completed the construction of the rooms and tunnels beneath Al-Shifa in 1983.

During construction in the 1980s, Israeli construction contractors hired Hamas to provide security guards to prevent attacks on the construction site, said Gershon Zebor's son Barak.

The Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli newspaper, supported this revelation, asserting that during the hospital's construction four decades ago, Hamas protected the site.

However, the lower floors transformed over time into a terrorist complex for planning attacks, as reported by the newspaper.

LBCI questioned the Hamas movement about why they did not disclose that Israel was responsible for constructing the underground floor beneath Al-Shifa Hospital.

Hamas responded with a cryptic statement, simply stating, "Gaza is filled with tunnels."