Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, March 26, 2024

Good evening,

Today marks the 172nd day of the war. IDF forces are fighting in all arenas – both offensive and defensive.
During the day, on the northern border, Hezbollah fired two anti-tank missiles towards the IDF aerial surveillance unit stationed at Mount Meron. There were no casualties, and the unit's readiness was not compromised. Additionally, approximately 50 launches were fired towards the Golan Heights, resulting in no injuries.
In response, IDF fighter jets targeted two significant compounds of Hezbollah’s aerial unit deep within Lebanese territory. In the past 48 hours, we have carried out multiple strikes in southern Lebanon, eliminating five terrorists in one of the strikes. We targeted operational infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah will continue to pay a heavy price, and we will continue to strike and respond with intensity to any fire towards Israel.

In the Gaza Strip, we are continuing the targeted operation at the Shifa Hospital. So far, together with the ISA, we have apprehended over five hundred terrorists affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In recent days, we have apprehended senior terrorists, including those who provided us with significant intelligence.
I will provide details on some of the terrorists apprehended in recent days:

- Radwan Younes Kamal Tafesh, Head of Department in the Weapon Manufacturing Unit of the Islamic Jihad
- Bakr Ahmed Bakr Qanita, Head of Department at the Hamas’ Security and Protection unit
- Hashem Muhammad Hasan Albatash, responsible for the financial affairs of the Islamic Jihad’s Gaza City Brigade.

These terrorists provide us with valuable intelligence during their interrogations that will lead us to further operations.

Tonight, We released footage from interrogations of two terrorists apprehended at Shifa hospital, during which they confess how they returned and why they returned to Shifa. They returned in order to hide and reestablish the terror base they had at the hospital.

Terrorists continue to fire at our forces from within buildings in the hospital, including the maternity ward, the Qatari building, from the emergency room and the laundry room. From each of these buildings - we eliminated the terrorists that fired at us and that encountered our forces. Our operations within the hospital continue; there are still terrorists that are barricading themselves in the buildings I mentioned. Some have already surrendered, while others are still fighting. We will continue to operate until we neutralize all threats.

Just in the area of the hospital, our forces under the 162nd Division, from the 401st Brigade and the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion, targeted over 201 terror infrastructures located in civilian buildings. The commanders told me that the terrorists hide on the last floor of the building, in the last door, in the last room in the building. We reach them and eliminate them wherever they hide in the area. More than a hundred terrorists were eliminated in the area of ​​the hospital.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists operate from within the departments of the hospital and thus are just destroying it. Hamas is destroying the Shifa Hospital. Hamas uses civilians as human shields and puts them in danger. Moreover, Hamas spreads lies on social media and the Al Jazeera network about harm to civilians in the hospital. Not a single civilian, patient, doctor, or medical staff member was harmed in this operation – only terrorists. The IDF has transferred patients to a building, provided them with treatment, aid and medical equipment, contrary to Hamas's course of action.

During one interrogation, the terrorist Bakr Ahmed mentioned that the terrorists chose to try and escape to hospitals because "no one is supposed to touch them." We intend to operate wherever Hamas terrorists are found, especially the commanders and leadership.

Tonight, after reviewing all the intelligence and confirming it, we are publishing according to our intelligence, with the ISA and the Intelligence Directorate, that Marwan Issa was eliminated in a strike we carried out two weeks ago, as well as Ghazi Abu Tamaa.
Marwan Issa, deputy to Mohammed Deif, number three in Hamas, and of the planners of the October 7th Massacre.
Ghazi Abu Tamaa, former commander of Hamas' Central Camps Brigade and he was in charge of Hamas' weapons and procurement.
They were eliminated in a complex and precise strike based on intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate and the ISA , together with extraordinary striking capabilities of the Israeli Air Force. We will continue in our effort to pursue and reach Hamas leaders.

In the southern Gaza Strip, in the Khan Yunis area, we are operating in the Al-Amal area following intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate and the ISA regarding new terror infrastructure in the area. The operation began with dozens of Air Force strikes and very quick entry of forces deep into the area. Forces of the 98th Division.
In the last few hours, we have initiated focused operations at the Al-Nasser Hospital following intelligence about Hamas activity inside the hospital. We first ensured the safe evacuation of those present, and now our forces are scanning the hospital area after the terror infrastructure we received intelligence about.
While Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists hide in hospitals and tunnels, hoarding humanitarian aid at the expense of innocent Gazans, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah are visiting their benefactors in Iran. Instead of negotiating conditions for a ceasefire in Gaza, they choose to discuss escalations in Iran with Iranian leaders. Hamas and Islamic Jihad continue to receive instructions from Iran.

Yesterday, it was cleared for publication that in a joint operation of the IDF and the ISA, we thwarted attempts by Iran to smuggle weapons intended to reach Judea and Samaria. Any Iranian attempt to encourage terrorist activity will lead to the elimination of those involved and a price exacted from the Iranians.

This evening, a very important and courageous article about Amit Soussana, from Kfar Aza, was published in the New York Times.
Amit was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and spent fifty-five days in captivity, testifying that she was sexually assaulted during her captivity. The testimony is chilling. Amit's courage, her personality, and her choice to bring this difficult testimony to the world are deeply admirable. Amit is a true hero.

Her testimony serves as yet another reminder of the obligation of the IDF and the security bodies to make every effort to bring home the 134 hostages, as every additional day in captivity is a terrible and enduring ordeal for them. This is a moral duty – ours and that of the entire world – and it does not waver or fade, not even for a moment. This is the compass for the soldiers currently fighting in the Gaza Strip, and it is a mission that guides them forward.

On behalf of the IDF's command, I want to say to the families and to the hostages, if they are able to hear us now – the magnitude of the pain, suffering, and uncertainty you are experiencing is unimaginable. We will continue to fight and create the conditions to bring you home and to strengthen your loved ones, who are our loved ones.