What images and videos tell us about Israeli presence at Gaza’s Shifa hospital

For over a week, Israeli forces have occupied al Shifa hospital, one of the few remaining large medical facilities in northern Gaza.

On the ground, tanks, soldiers and heavy equipment take the place of ambulances and patients. Visible above is evidence of possibly irreparable damage.

On 26 March, a fire occurred on the grounds of al Shifa hospital. Clearly identifiable on satellite imagery captured on the day by Planet, smoke can be seen rising from the hospital’s grounds, centred around its surgical building and emergency ward. 

The imagery appears to match footage and images captured on the ground that were shared on the same day by Israeli journalist Yinon Magal. 

Posted by Mr Magal on Telegram and X, a photograph shows al-Shifa’s surgery building with fire clearly visible burning across its third floor.

The covered bridge formerly connecting it to the emergency department has been destroyed.

A video, filmed later, shows a prisoner being led in front of the same building, the front of which is heavily fire damaged. An armoured vehicle appears parked in front of it.

A video released by the IDF on 25 March confirms that the damage shown to the building is recent.

While the exact time of recording is unknown, the presence of tanks and track marks in the courtyard match satellite imagery captured after the Israelis entered the site in recent days. In it, no fire damage is visible.

A video posted by Mr Magal alongside the footage filmed outside shows men kneeling in a damaged corridor. Furniture in offices has been overturned and graffiti is visible on walls.

The caption accompanying these images implies they all show al Shifa hospital, however, Sky News was unable to determine the exact location shown in this video.

While Israeli forces have entered al Shifa hospital before, their recent presence began on the night of 17 to 18 March.

Claiming Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were present at the hospital, Israeli troops and aircraft launched an operation culminating in the encirclement and occupation of Al Shifa.

Footage recorded nearby demonstrates the prolonged nature of this initial operation.

Recorded sporadically from the upper floors of a building close to the hospital and posted between the hours of 2.59am and 12.21pm, it shows explosions and the presence of Israeli armoured vehicles. The sound of gunfire, aircraft and explosions can be heard throughout.

The initial raid targeting al Shifa hospital was also documented by the IDF, which posted a video consisting of aerial footage recorded in numerous locations in the area.

While the IDF captioned two of the clips ‘Fire toward IDF troops from the Shifa Hospital,’ Sky News found they were filmed nearby, outside of the hospital’s grounds.

The two remaining pieces of aerial footage were filmed in the complex, one at its main entrance, and the other to the north of the surgery building.

They show individuals moving through the hospital grounds and shooting from the courtyard, between buildings, and inside a hospital building.

High-definition satellite imagery captured by Planet on 20 March shows Israeli forces maintained a heavy presence at al Shifa in the days after the initial raid.

Large numbers of armoured vehicles are clearly visible in this imagery, grouped together in an area in the south of the hospital’s grounds, and lined up along a road bordering it to the north.

Since then, footage and images have emerged from within the complex. While the exact date on which they were recorded is unclear, newly piled earth indicates it was filmed after the Israeli troops entered the complex in mid-March.

First shared publicly on social media on March 20, they show the hospital’s courtyard near its main gate. In it, large numbers of men dressed in white can be seen being detained and readied for transport.

Israel has claimed over 170 militants have been killed and a further 500 detained by its forces during its operation at al Shifa hospital. These figures and characterisations have not been independently verified.

Through official channels, the IDF has shared photographs and videos documenting its presence in the grounds of al-Shifa hospital.

In one video, soldiers enter move through rooms located in the hospital’s outpatient building. Stopping in one, they display a collection of grenades, ammunition and other materials purportedly left by militants.

In another video, Lieutenant Colonel Naor Bublil of the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion stands in front of an MRI machine before showing weapons and ammunition he claims were found nearby.

The origin of the weapons displayed in these videos have not been independently verified.