JERUSALEM โ A report published this week by NGO Monitor says captured internal Hamas documents demonstrate that the group systematically exploited Gaza hospitals as command centers, meeting points for senior operatives, and bases for military infrastructure.
The documents, which NGO Monitor says were authored by the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security and dated February and March 2020, describe hospitals as sites where wounded operatives with โsensitive positionsโ gather in times of escalation and where commanders and government figures meet.
NGO Monitor concludes that hospitals were treated as dual-use facilities that offered tactical cover for fighters, locations for weapons storage, and nodes for intelligence gathering. The Jerusalem Post and JNS reported on the organizationโs findings, noting explicit references in the memos to using hospital infrastructure for communications and to track international aid workers.
The report also alleges that Hamas monitored and tracked personnel from international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, citing ministry notes that identified where those aid groups operated within medical facilities. NGO Monitor argued that such tracking, if accurate, demonstrates knowledge of and reliance on the humanitarian sector as part of Hamasโs operational environment.
The release of these memos comes amid competing narratives over the use of medical facilities in Gaza. Some independent investigations have previously raised questions about the extent of militant presence in hospitals. An Associated Press review last year said Israeli forces presented limited public evidence in several raids, and called for scrutiny of claims that hospitals were operational strongholds. NGO Monitorโs newly published documents aim to add primary-source material to that debate.
Israeli officials said the documents corroborate long-standing intelligence assessments that militant groups embedded themselves in civilian infrastructure. Pro-Israel commentators and legal analysts pointed to the memos as evidence that humanitarian neutrality was being abused to shield military activity. The documents, they argue, help explain why the Israeli military has at times treated certain medical sites as legitimate counterterrorism objectives.
Humanitarian organizations named in NGO Monitorโs briefing have previously insisted on their neutral, lifesaving mission and have denied cooperating with or facilitating armed groups. NGO Monitor called on these organizations to provide clearer public explanations about their operations and any interaction with local authorities. The report urged greater transparency to restore confidence in the distinction between protected medical facilities and potential dual-use sites.
Legal experts say documented evidence that noncombatants or health facilities are being used for military purposes alters the legal analysis under international humanitarian law, but that such findings must be independently verified and assessed with care. They noted that even if facilities are misused, protecting civilians and medical staff remains an overriding obligation.
The NGO Monitor report is likely to intensify calls from Israeli and allied voices for fuller disclosure of the captured material and for accountability where humanitarian channels may have been compromised. At the same time, independent journalists and rights groups will press for corroboration and for on-the-ground verification where feasible.
This article is based on verified information from NGO Monitor, The Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post, JNS, and The Associated Press.