Israeli troops enter Gaza's Al Shifa hospital in culmination of siege

An Israeli flag stands on the top of a destroyed building in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. Picture: AP Photo/Leo Correa

Israeli troops entered Gaza's biggest hospital on Wednesday and were searching its rooms and basement, witnesses said, culminating a days-long siege that caused global alarm over the fate of thousands of civilians trapped inside.

Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has become the main target of the ground operation by Israeli forces, who say Hamas fighters located the "beating heart" of their operations in a headquarters in tunnels beneath it, which Hamas denies.