The Israeli military has released footage of a hospital in Gaza. It claims that the building's basement was used by the Islamic group Hamas to hold hostages.
The military said the video was taken after it conducted an operation at Rantisi Hospital in northern Gaza. The clip was released on Monday. In the video, a military spokesperson points out what he says is the entrance to a covert tunnel near the hospital. He claims that the tunnel leads to the basement of the facility.
The spokesperson then shows viewers the inside of what he says is the hospital's basement. There are automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and other gear on the floor. The spokesperson claims that the hospital was used by Hamas as its command and control center.
Another room is shown in the video. The room contains a chair with women's clothes on it, and there is a rope on the floor nearby. The spokesperson says in the footage that people taken hostage by Hamas may have been held in that place.
Hamas denied the allegations in a social media post. It claimed that the video contains lies and contradictory information. It slammed Israel and said that the video is part of a psychological war that the Israeli side is waging against the Palestinians. Hamas also said that Israel cannot deceive the public or justify its attacks on hospitals.