White House says Hamas is violating rules of war by having its HQ in a hospital

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

A picture shows a view of the exterior of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on November 10, 2023. (AFP)
A picture shows a view of the exterior of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on November 10, 2023. (AFP)

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby tells reporters in a briefing that Gaza City’s 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.”

However, he clarifies that “what Hamas is doing… It is a violation of the law of war to headquarter yourself in a hospital.”

Asked whether the US gave prior approval to the IDF’s Shifa Hospital raid, Kirby says it did not because Washington does not expect Israel to provide advance notice of its military operations in Gaza.

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