America has intelligence that reveals that Hamas has been utilizing hospitals in Gaza, together with Al-Shifa, as command facilities and ammunitions depots, a spokesman for the Nationwide Safety Council stated on Tuesday.
John Kirby, the spokesman, stated that the intelligence, gathered from American-generated sources, supported Israel’s allegation that Hamas has been working out of hospitals, which Mr. Kirby stated amounted to a warfare crime.
Mr. Kirby declined to offer particulars concerning the U.S. intelligence, however he made clear that it goes past the knowledge collected by the Israeli intelligence service. “It comes from a wide range of intelligence strategies — of our personal, of our personal,” he stated, including that the classification of the intelligence had been downgraded in order that it could possibly be shared publicly.
“I can affirm for you that we have now info that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals within the Gaza Strip, together with Al-Shifa, and tunnels beneath them, to hide and to help their navy operations and to carry hostages,” Mr. Kirby informed reporters on Air Pressure One as President Biden headed to San Francisco for a summit with Asia-Pacific leaders.
“Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad — J.I.D. — members function a command and management node from Al-Shifa in Gaza Metropolis,” he added. “They’ve saved weapons there, and so they’re ready to reply to an Israeli navy operation in opposition to that facility.”
The revelation of the U.S. intelligence comes as Israel is underneath harsh worldwide criticism for assaults on and round hospitals because it conducts a warfare in opposition to Hamas within the wake of the armed group’s terrorist assaults on Israel on Oct. 7. Israel says greater than 1,200 individuals had been killed within the assaults and that 239 others stay hostages.
Throughout Israel’s ensuing navy marketing campaign to eradicate Hamas, it has repeatedly stated that its navy seeks to keep away from casualties amongst civilians, together with sufferers and medical doctors at hospitals. However they’ve insisted that Hamas makes use of such individuals as human shields.
Mr. Kirby stated that america doesn’t help assaults from the air on hospitals, regardless of what he stated was the confirmed use of the amenities by Hamas.
“We don’t help putting a hospital from the air,” he stated. “And we don’t wish to see a firefight in a hospital the place harmless individuals, helpless individuals, sick persons are merely making an attempt to get the medical care that they deserve, to not be caught in a crossfire. Hospitals and sufferers have to be protected.”
He referred to as that concern an “added burden” for Israel in its navy marketing campaign in opposition to Hamas.
Palestinian officers and medical doctors at Al-Shifa have denied that the hospital has been utilized by Hamas. However Mr. Kirby stated that the newly revealed U.S. intelligence supported Israel’s arguments as its navy closed in on the hospital.
“We have now info that confirms that Hamas is utilizing that specific hospital for a command and management node and doubtless storage of kit weapons up beneath,” he stated. “That could be a warfare crime.”
