Ehud Barak tells CNN Israel helped build tunnels under Gaza hospital

By World of Israel News Staff

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak caused a stir when he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Israel was involved in building some of the underground spaces underneath the Shifa hospital in Gaza.

Ehud Barak, who served as prime minister of Israel from 1999-2001, told the CNN host that the bunkers which are now being used by Hamas to store weapons and serve as military headquarters “were built by Israeli constructors.”

Visibly looking startled, Amanpour asked Barak, “When you said it was built by Israeli engineers did you misspeak?”

Barak replied, “No no, you know, some decades ago we were running the place… so we helped them… we helped them to build these bunkers in order to enable more space for the operation of the hospital.”

On X, Amanpour admitted, “Ok, That’s sort of thrown me a bit.”

Those who opposed Israel’s military operations in Gaza have cited Barak’s comments are supposed confirmation that the bunkers were intended for peaceful purposes.

] However, the role Israel might have had in helping to construct underground spaces doesn’t detract from their argument that these areas are being used for non-medical and military purposes, despite what the original bunkers were intended for.

The tunnel system under Gaza City is complex, and Hamas has extended the maze of tunnels so that they are located underneath hospitals, mosques, and civilian areas.

This strategy endangers Gazan civilians and increases the number of non-combatant casualties.

The IDF discovered a missile-making lab underneath a mosque in Gaza City as well as an armory beneath Shifa Hospital including explosives, drones, and weapons.