Israeli forces said on Wednesday they have entered Gaza’s largest hospital Al-Shifa and carrying out a targeted attack on the Hamas command centre which it believes is located below thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians, raising concerns about the safety of the civilian population.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it was carrying out an operation based on intel information. “Based on intelligence information and an operational necessity, IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital.”
Meanwhile, the United States has also backed the key Israeli justification for military moves on the Gaza hospital, saying the Palestinian militants have a command centre at the Al-Shifa hospital. Al-Shifa hospital houses thousands of ailing kids and sheltering civilians in the wake of the war between Hamas militants and the Israeli forces.
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Hamas quickly slammed the comments, saying that Washington’s statement was enabling Israel “to commit further brutal massacres targeting hospitals” in Gaza.
“These statements give a green light to the Israeli occupation to commit further brutal massacres targeting hospitals, with the goal of destroying Gaza’s healthcare system and displacing Palestinians,” the militant group said in a statement issued in English.
The United Nations estimates at least 2,300 people — patients, staff and displaced civilians — are inside and may be unable to escape because of fierce fighting near the facility.
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Updated: 15 Nov 2023, 06:29 AM IST