Israel’s army has sent more than 100 troops into Gaza’s largest hospital in a “targeted” operation to search for Hamas infrastructure and weapons.
A journalist inside the hospital has said that Israeli soldiers were seen going room to room and interviewing people, including doctors and patients. The same witness said commando soldiers had also entered the main emergency area, as tanks sat in the hospital grounds.
Israeli Forces delivered humanitarian aid to the entrance of the hospital and said it was trying to bring incubators and baby food, where dozens of newborns need medical treatment.
Israel alleges Hamas is running a command center in tunnels under the hospital and the United States says it has intelligence that supports this assertion. However, the White House said civilians must be protected, adding, ‘We don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital.’
For their part, Hamas denied the allegations and said the raid on the hospital was a war crime.
Over the last few weeks, hundreds of civilians have been sheltering there, alongside patients and staff.
Meanwhile, 25,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza on Tuesday from the Rafah crossing in Egypt. This is the first delivery of fuel to the enclave in weeks, but it will be used to fill UN vehicles.
The delivery comes after the United Nations warned that fuel stocks would run out in Gaza tomorrow, Wednesday.
Israel began bombarding Gaza after Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 200 others.
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 11,000 people have been killed since 7 October.
