According to soldiers who stayed at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis after detaining more than 200 terrorists in the area, an IDF commando brigade was diverted from an attack mission in order to clean the facility and remove dirt left by displaced Gazans. The soldiers reportedly risked their own lives performing the cleaning duties.
In another case, they were required to unload an aid truck brought by the IDF into Gaza after the other trucks were blocked at the Kerem Shalom Crossing by protesters. The incident left hard feelings among the soldiers after they had to toil for about an hour and a half, cleaning the area and removing dirt left by the Palestinians.
Some of the soldiers' parents recounted how their kids told them: "We were about to launch an attack and suddenly they told us there was a change of plans. We were required to clean Nasser Hospital with mops and brooms for an hour and a half while being watched from the sidelines by members of UNRWA and other Hamas supporters."
One of the soldiers said: "It was the worst humiliation I've ever experienced in my life and all the soldiers left with very bad feelings." According to him, "We mobilized to defend the country and eliminate the Nazis of Hamas, we lost members of the unit, and suddenly we were tasked with serving the enemy."
He added: "For an hour and a half they simply put us at risk carrying out stationary work in an area exposed to gunfire just to clean up a hospital that was a Hamas stronghold for all intents and purposes, where hostages were hidden, and October 7 terrorists operated."
Some of the parents who are members in the Mothers' March organization, whose purpose is to provide support for the soldiers, said: "Our children put themselves in harms' way on the battlefield to eliminate the enemy and return kidnapped Israelis. Risking their lives for the benefit of cleaning work and delivering aid to the enemy during the war is a moral crime and represents a loss of moral values."
According to the mothers, "The mission of the IDF is to bring about an overwhelming victory - not to provide images of 'humanitarian' measures that convey weakness to the enemy and help him continue fighting. We will continue to stand guard to prevent aid trucks from entering Gaza, and we will fight against all the distorted moral values being instilled in the IDF without the soldiers' input."
An IDF spokesperson commented on the incident. "Commando fighters and other forces fought in the Nasser Hospital compound where they located stolen medicines, weapons, and arrested over 200 terrorists. At the same time, a limited force cleared debris from the combat area so that they could continue to fight and locate terrorist infrastructures. We emphasize that this was a limited force, which carried out operations for operational purposes only," he said.
