The IDF targeted sections of the Al-Wafa rehabilitation hospital in Gaza's Shejaiya neighborhood on Wednesday, explaining that the medical facility was being used as a Hamas command center and utilized repeatedly by Islamist gunmen to launch attacks on Israeli forces. It said it had issued repeated warnings to the hospital authorities, told civilians to vacate the premises, and warned the gunmen to stop abusing the medical facility.

"Hamas terrorists have been intentionally abusing the hospital and other international protected symbols to indiscriminately attack Israel and its civilians," said IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner.

The 17 patients who were in the complex were moved to another location last Thursday, the hospital's chief, Basman Alashi, told Haaretz, after the Israeli Air Force carried out an earlier strike at the site.

In a statement the IDF explained that "the hospital grounds and its immediate surroundings have been repeatedly utilized by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a command center, rocket launching site, and a post enabling terrorists to open fire at soldiers."

The IDF noted that it had repeatedly brought the abuse of the hospital grounds to the attention of international organizations and also directly warned the hospital administration and Palestinian officials of the situation.

The Times of Israel