Washington, DC [US], November 15 (ANI): White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday that Hamas is violating the law of war by headquartering themselves in a Gaza hospital, The Times of Israel reported. In a briefing, Kirby said that Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital, where the IDF is currently operating to target Hamas terrorists operating in and underneath the compound, is “an active legitimate hospital… We want their patients to be as protected as possible.”
The Times of Israel reported that when asked whether the US gave prior approval to the IDF’s Shifa Hospital raid, Kirby said it did not because Washington does not expect Israel to provide advance notice of its military operations in Gaza. “We have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages,” spokesperson John Kirby told reporters during a briefing, The Times of Israel reported.
“Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad members operate a command and control [center] from al-Shifa in Gaza City. They have stored weapons there and they’re prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against that facility,” Kirby said, citing US intelligence assessments, The Times of Israel reported.
Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces have confirmed that they are carrying out precise, and targeted operations in a specific region in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The operation is being carried out based on intelligence information and an operational necessity.
The IDF is conducting a ground operation in Gaza to defeat Hamas and rescue our hostages. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the civilians in Gaza. “Forces include medical teams and Arabic speakers, who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians being used by Hamas as human shields,” the IDF said in an official statement.
In recent weeks, the IDF has publicly warned time and again that Hamas’ continued military use of the Shifa hospital jeopardizes its protected status under international law, and enabled ample time to stop this unlawful abuse of the hospital. “Yesterday, the IDF conveyed to the relevant authorities in Gaza once again that all military activities within the hospital must cease within 12 hours. Unfortunately, it did not,” the IDF statement added.
In addition, the IDF coordinated large-scale hospital evacuations and kept lines of communication open with hospital administration. “We call upon all Hamas terrorists present in the hospital to surrender,” the IDF said.
The Israel Defence Forces on Tuesday announced that it is coordinating the transfer of incubators from Israel to hospitals in the Gaza Strip, reported The Times of Israel. Shifa and other hospitals in Gaza City have complained of fewer supplies and patient deaths due to the Israel-Hamas war, which has pressured Israel to put more effort into protecting Gazan civilians caught in the crossfire, The Times of Israel reported..
The IDF has been closing in on Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, which according to Jerusalem is hiding Hamas’s main operations centre. It also shared a video of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT’s) spokesperson on X, stating that the war is against Hamas and not the people of Gaza. “The pediatric ward at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City needs assistance. Israel is ready to assist,” she said.
The spokesperson further said, “We made a formal offer to health officials in Gaza to transfer incubators into the Gaza Strip to assist the pediatric ward of Shifa Hospital. Extensive efforts are underway to ensure that these incubators can reach babies in Gaza without delay.”
The IDF further stated in its post that Israel is doing everything to minimize harm to civilians and facilitate the transfer of medical supplies and food. Moreover, according to the latest development, the Israeli troops of the 7th Armored Brigade and Golani Infantry Brigade have captured several Hamas governmental buildings in the Gaza City neighbourhoods of Sheikh Ijlin and Rimal. Among the sites captured by the troops are the Hamas parliament, its government complex, and the police headquarters. (ANI)
