Fresh tactics of Israeli forces have surfaced amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. As part of an undercover action plan of the Israel Defense Forces, its troops, disguised as civilian women and medical workers, stormed into a hospital in the occupied West Bank area and reportedly killed 3 Hamas militants.
The incident took place on Tuesday at Ibn Sina Hospital in the West Bank city of Jenin. CCTV footage of the apparent surprise attack by Israeli forces inside the hospital has been widely shared on social media.
In the visuals widely circulated on X (formerly known as Twitter), several armed IDF commandos, disguised as doctors, nurses, and women wearing hijabs, can be seen entering the hospital and opening fire on people who they suspected to be Hamas militants.
Another video shows IDF commandos patting down a man who kneeled against a wall with his arms raised.
A media channel has has not been been independently verify the footage.
Soon after the videos surfaced on the internet, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted Hamas fighter Mohammed Jalamneh who "had recently been involved in promoting significant terrorist activity" and was hiding in the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin.
An Israeli minister heaped praise on the covert operation and the IDF claimed that it killed three terrorists linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir shared the CCTV footage on social media and lauded his men for the "heroic" operation during the late hours of Tuesday.
"I congratulate and strengthen the Israel Defense Forces for their heroic activity last night in cooperation with the IDF and Shin Bet forces in the Jenin refugee camp, which led to the elimination of three terrorists - let all our enemies know that our forces will operate everywhere and by all means to protect and protect our citizens of Israel," Gvir said.
The IDF notified that among the killed were two brothers. The men, who were killed at the hospital, were members of Jenin Brigades fighters, an umbrella group of armed Palestinian factions in the West Bank.
"Mohammed Al-Ghazawi front the Jenin Camp, a terrorist operative of the Jenin Battalions who was involved in numerous attacks including firing at IDF soldiers in the area, and Basel Al-Ghazawi from the Jenin Camp, Mohammed's brother, an Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation operative involved in terror activities in the area," IDF statement read.
Citing sources who were present at the hospital, Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported the disguised (Israeli) special forces "infiltrated the hospital individually, headed to the third floor and assassinated the young men."
Meanwhile, Hamas's military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, claimed Jalamneh as a member and released a photo of him too. The statement said that he had been "martyred by the bullets of special force from the occupation army that infiltrated Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin with his comrades Mohammed and Basil Ayman Al-Ghazawi," claiming them to be "fighting martyrs".
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned the attack and the targeting of a health centre. It urged the United Nations to provide medical aid and protection for safe medical treatment at centres.
"International law provides general and special protection for civilian sites, including hospitals," it added.
(With inputs from agencies)