Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, March 28, 2024

Good evening. In the last few minutes, we received confirmation from the ISA and the Intelligence Directorate (J2) regarding an operation to eliminate a senior Hamas operative that we conducted at Shifa Hospital. The senior Hamas operative who we eliminated is Ra'ad Thabet. Thabet served as the Head of the Supply and Manpower Unit of the Hamas Military Wing. He previously served as the Head of Hamas's Production Unit. He held a lot of knowledge about the organization regarding everything related to equipment and armament. Ra'ad was one of the top ten senior operatives in Hamas’s Military Wing. He was close to Sinwar, Deif, and Marwan Issa. He was eliminated during an attempted escape along with two other terrorists into the hospital courtyard, which was also part of a planned attack on IDF soldiers. He was eliminated by soldiers of Shayetet 13, along with additional forces in the area from the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion, the Shaked Battalion, and Duvdevan. In addition, today at Shifa Hospital, in the maternity ward, the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion conducted a search in the building, discovered three terrorists, and engaged in combat. The terrorists fled, a chase ensued, there was gunfire, and all three terrorists were eliminated in this operation. We are in the process of verifying their identities and will publish details about them later. The determination of the IDF and ISA to continue operating inside the hospital is based on precise intelligence that is constantly increasing and proving itself. We have reached senior operatives and will reach more. Regarding the intelligence that is being complied, yesterday, during interrogations inside the hospital, the investigation directed us to an area where Hamas’ long-range rockets were located. IDF soldiers set out to act, the 601st Battalion conducted an operation, located the rockets, and destroyed them.

At Shifa Hospital, there were 1,250 people there when we encircled it, 350 of whom were injured, sick, and medical staff who remained in the area and 900 suspects, of whom we have already identified 513 terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad out of the 900 suspects. We are still interrogating the suspects and assume and estimate that we will discover more. There are more senior operatives. There are more terrorists in the hospital. We will reach all of them. Hamas is destroying the hospital, damaging the hospital, fighting within the departments, activating explosives, and burning the hospital. This hospital has been severely damaged as a result of Hamas' actions.

In the southern part of the Strip, IDF soldiers are fighting in the Al-Amal area where terrorists are hiding. So far, we have apprehended dozens of terrorists in the area, found additional terrorist tunnel shafts based on intelligence which also contained large quantities of explosives. Those we apprehended were transferred for interrogation by the Intelligence Directorate (J2) and the ISA.

In parallel, during the night, the Nahal Brigade combat team, in cooperation with soldiers of the Yahalom Unit, led by the 162nd Division, destroyed a 2.5 km long tunnel route that was part of an underground system stretching from north to south. Throughout the war in the Strip, this route was used by terrorists. It crossed from one end to the other. We operated and destroyed it - a very complex destruction with more than 30 tons of explosives in a complicated operation successfully carried out during the night.

In the Jordan Valley, in the early hours of the morning, a terrorist opened fire towards Israeli vehicles, including a bus carrying schoolchildren. Unfortunately, as a result of the shooting, three civilians were injured, including a 13-year-old boy. Many forces were deployed to the area to pursue the terrorist, a chase that is still ongoing. We will continue to pursue him until we catch him. The Commanding Officer of the Central Command arrived at the scene of the attack and conducted a situational assessment together with the brigade. We have set up blockades to isolate the area of the attack and prevent the terrorist's escape. We are now in the midst of Ramadan with a very extensive deployment in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, acting to thwart terror, both in recent days and going forward, and we will continue to do so.

In the north, we continue to strengthen the readiness of all IDF units. Today, we conducted a surprise exercise to enhance IDF readiness for various scenarios in the northern arena. This exercise was carried out here as well, with the General Staff, in the Israeli Air Force, in the Northern Command, in all branches and units related to strengthening our readiness in the north. Simultaneously, in the last few days, with an emphasis on the last day, IAF fighter jets have been striking across the State of Lebanon. We are striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including significant military assets of the organization. In the last 48 hours, we have eliminated 16 terrorists in Lebanon, and in the last week, 30. This adds to our significant efforts in the north - significant actions, killing many terrorists, especially all those trying to reach our territory, thwarting attacks, striking at systems, with a focus on southern Lebanon and the Radwan forces, pushing Hezbollah away from the border. Residents of the north, I know you have been experiencing this very complex and difficult time for almost six months. Despite this, you have shown remarkable resilience. We will continue to strike Hezbollah forcefully, continue with all the personnel of the Northern Command, including many reservists who are there, we will continue to act with strength. We will do everything to create the security conditions that will allow the residents of the north to return home safely..

Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has been engaged in collecting forensic and intelligence materials intended to expose to the world the extent of the war crimes committed by Hamas. We are gathering these materials together with the ISA, the Israel Police, and centralizing a comprehensive base of information that we are using to detail Hamas’ war crimes to the world. This content is difficult and painful, but it is our duty to expose and talk about it as part of our obligation to bring the hostages home, and as part of our duty to tell the story of the civilians, including the women whose voices will no longer be heard.

This evening, we exposed very difficult footage from the interrogation room of Unit 504, from the interrogation of the terrorist Manar Mahmoud Muhammad Kasem, a member of the Islamic Jihad, a terrorist from the naval unit of the Islamic Jihad, who participated in the terror attack on October 7th. Kasem admits in his own words how he raped an Israeli civilian during the terror attack. He brutally and violently raped her and then shot an Israeli civilian. We will share and tell the world of the crimes against humanity that Hamas committed and how they acted with cruelty akin to ISIS. We will continue to publish and remind the world why our war is just and against whom we are fighting. This interrogation joins a series of testimonies and findings that attest to the cruelty and war crimes of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. In Gaza, 134 hostages are still being held; we are very concerned about their physical and mental well-being. We will continue to act with all means, operational, intelligence, and those which will create the conditions to bring them home.