"On Saturday, Jan. 10, which is the day salaries are distributed in
Gaza, several Hamas commanders who cannot come out of their hiding places
were given their salaries at their hiding places," Dichter said in a radio
interview. "But those commanders who can move around Gaza made their way to
Shifa Hospital to receive their salaries."
Officials said Hamas leaders were also using other hospitals as well as
United Nations clinics and schools as weapons bunkers and shelters. They
said some Hamas leaders were hiding in unidentified foreign missions in Gaza
City.
"UN schools in Gaza long ago stopped being just schools," Dichter said.
"All these services and places are refuge for Hamas terrorists and
commanders."
Officials said Israel could not attack Shifa without a massive ground
operation. They said the government has sought to wind down army
activities in the Gaza Strip.
"Shifa is in the middle of a very crowded area in Gaza, and you would
have to get through half-a-million Gazans to get to the hospital and arrest
Hamas people there," Dichter said. "So that's not doable. Striking the
hospital is out of the question for obvious reasons. So in this case we have
to just bite our lips."
