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The Israeli military said on Sunday it had discovered a 55-meter-long tunnel 10 meters beneath Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital complex.
Israel says the tunnel was equipped with stairs, an armored door and a loophole that could be used by snipers to block Israeli forces from entering.
The Israel Defense Forces also say the tunnel's shaft was in a part of the hospital complex where a vehicle loaded with weapons was found last week.
The Israeli army announced that it was still investigating the extent of the tunnel.
"The findings clearly prove that multiple buildings in the hospital complex are used by Hamas as cover for terrorist infrastructure and activities," the Israeli military said.
The Israeli military is under pressure to back up its claims that the Al-Shifa hospital was used as a bunker and command center for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that the United States has designated as a terrorist organization. Hamas and the hospital staff have denied the accusations.
Meanwhile, over 30 newborn babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa hospital on Sunday.
The evacuated babies have been taken to a hospital run by the United Arab Emirates in the Egyptian border town of Rafah
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed that they have been asked to create a corridor to enable evacuations from Al-Shifa.
"We have created a corridor for them to leave the hospital and then go to the southern part of the Gaza Strip," said Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli army.
The fate of the newborns at Al-Shifa Hospital had drawn global attention after images were released showing doctors struggling to keep them warm after a power outage knocked out incubators and other medical equipment. Food, water and medical supplies ran out as Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants near the hospital.
The World Health Organization reported that around 2,500 displaced people, patients and medical staff had left Al-Shifa on Saturday morning. The WHO also announced that 25 members of the medical staff remained in the hospital alongside the patients in serious condition.
Israel has long said the Palestinian militant group Hamas has a command center under Al-Shifa hospital.
"Our forces are continuing the operation in the hospital with four main goals - the first is to find the hostages. Second, finding weapons and the Hamas command and control center. The third, the capture of the terrorists who are in the area of the hospital and the fourth, the attempt to expose what is under the hospital and destroy it", says Daniel Hagari, spokesman of the Israeli army.
"We have called several times for international commissions of inquiry to look into these Israeli allegations regarding the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes as they claim, but unfortunately we have not seen any movement in this direction and now we also demand that there is an international commission of inquiry to investigate these crimes committed against civilians," said Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani in Doha on Sunday during a joint conference with the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.
Israeli troops who have been stationed at the hospital and raided its grounds for days say they have found weapons and other military equipment and have provided footage of what they say is a tunnel entrance. /VOA
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