TEL AVIV — The renewed Israeli military raid on Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital launched on Sunday clearly illustrates that Hamas retains some of its capabilities even after more than five months of fighting. It also signals the likelihood of continued guerrilla warfare in the Gaza Strip even once the war ends.
The Israeli commando raid on the hospital compound followed November’s large-scale operation to locate and destroy Hamas arsenals and command centers hidden there. The Israeli military said Sunday’s operation was prompted by information signaling that Hamas fighters had returned to the site.
Even as heavily armed commandos engaged in fierce fighting with Hamas at Al-Shifa’s heavily damaged main building, whose construction was Qatari-funded, Israeli officials were preparing to engage with Hamas representatives at a luxury Doha hotel some 1,100 miles away. Qatar, in fact, is the common denominator between these seemingly unrelated events — clashes with Hamas in Gaza and Qatar-mediated negotiations on a hostage release and cease-fire deal.
Qatar playing on all fields
