IDF pulls out of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, leaves devastation

April 1 (UPI) -- Israel Defense Forces said it pulled out of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after a two-week operation that killed 200 "terrorists," but left most of the medical complex destroyed.

The IDF said it found weapons and intelligence "throughout the hospital" while they took hundreds more people into custody during their raid of the hospital.

The Gaza health ministry said "dozens of bodies" were left on the ground to decompose inside and outside the hospital. They said the complex is completely non-functional as a hospital in its current state.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, said 21 patients died in the Israeli siege of the hospital, a number the IDF denied.

The IDF said in November that Hamas had created a command and control center inside the hospital and underneath in tunnels. Hamas called the reports "lies and cheap propaganda." The IDF said its operation prevented "harm to civilians, patients and medical teams."

The hospital is the largest medical facility in Gaza and Palestinian officials said its destruction leaves the region without a healthcare complex capable of caring for residents, especially during wartime.

The IDF has blamed Hamas for using the medical facility as a shield and putting civilians in danger while attacking Israeli military structure.