US denies green-lighting Gaza hospital raid as Israeli tanks, troops deepen search
The United States has refuted claims that it sanctioned the Israeli military operation at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday that the US did not approve any military actions surrounding the hospital. Washington’s denial came as Israeli forces continued their search within the hospital, claiming it was a Hamas operational hub. Israeli troops claim to have discovered Hamas weapons and combat gear inside the hospital, releasing a video purportedly showing the recovered items.
Meanwhile, Qatar said it is working towards a ceasefire agreement that would involve the release of around 50 civilian hostages from Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid entering the region.
Here are the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas conflict:
The US has denied giving Israel approval for the raid on al-Shifa Hospital, countering Hamas’s accusations of American complicity. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, “We did not give an OK to their military operations around the hospital.”
Kirby declined to say whether Israel gave the US advance warning of the attack during talks between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
The US had previously stated that an intelligence assessment backed up Israel’s claims that Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital sat atop a large Hamas command centre.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the chief Israeli military spokesperson, stated that weapons and combat gear belonging to Hamas were discovered within the hospital complex.
Video evidence released by the Israeli army purportedly shows recovered materials from the hospital, including automatic weapons, grenades, and other equipment. “These findings unequivocally prove that the hospital was used for terror, in complete violation of international law,” Hagari said.
Israeli forces, who stormed Al-Shifa a day earlier, have deepened their search within the hospital, claiming Hamas was using it for military purposes. Hospital staff and Hamas deny these allegations.
“The troops continue to search the hospital in a precise, intelligence-based, manner,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a press briefing on Wednesday. “We will continue to do so, in order to gather further information, to discover additional assets, and to expose the terror activities within the hospital.”
The military made no mention of finding any tunnel entrances in Al-Shifa. It previously said Hamas had built a network of tunnels under the hospital.
News agency Reuters reported that Qatari mediators are working on a deal between Hamas and Israel for the release of approximately 50 civilian hostages in exchange for a ceasefire, with coordination from the US. Citing an official, the report stated that Hamas has agreed to the general outlines of this deal, but Israel has not and is still negotiating the details.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reports over 11,200 Palestinian deaths, with women and minors making up two-thirds of the casualties. Approximately 2,700 individuals are reported missing since the conflict erupted after a massive incursion by Hamas terrorists into Israeli territory on October 7, that saw some 1,200 people killed and over 240 others taken back as hostages to the Gaza Strip.