The White House said on Tuesday that US intelligence suggested that Hamas militants had used tunnels under hospitals in Gaza to conceal their military operations, amid a heated debate over Israel’s bombing campaign and advancing troops.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby spoke to reporters from Air Force One about the use of the infamous tunnel network as President Joe Biden traveled to San Francisco for the APEC summit.
“Now as far as hospitals are concerned, I can confirm to you that we have information that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are using some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including Al Shiva, with tunnels under them to conceal, support and support their military operations “Hostages,” said Kirby.
“Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (BIJ) members operate an Al Shifa command and control node in Gaza City,” he said.
White House security spokesman John Kirby said Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad “are using some Gaza hospitals, including Al Shiva,” to “hide and support their military operations and hold hostages.”
“They have weapons stored there and are ready to respond to an Israeli military operation against this facility.”
He said the information specifically related to Al Shifa, where Israeli forces had advanced right in front of the hospital.
Israel Defense Forces say they will let staff and patients go, while hospital officials say they are urgently running out of fuel to run equipment given the great suffering caused by Israel’s war against Hamas.
“We have information that confirms that Hamas is using this particular hospital in a command and control mode,” Kirby said. He said they likely used the network to store weapons. “This is a war crime.”
Palestinians injured in Israeli raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, November 14, 2023. The White House says Hamas uses tunnels under hospitals for its military
Israeli forces have continued to bomb Gaza for weeks
Israel has long accused Hamas of hiding its forces among civilian targets. Hamas officials said more than 10,000 people have died in the Israeli campaign, although the White House says it cannot confirm the number.
An estimated 1,400 people were killed in Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
Kirby said the Palestinian groups were prepared to respond to Israeli military operations with IDF ground forces nearby.
Kirby did not provide details about the intelligence methods that provided the information.
He said it was based on “a variety of proprietary intelligence methods” – and distinguished it from information provided by the Israelis.
“I think you can understand that we can’t give much detail on this, we have to protect sources and methods.” But we were able to downgrade some information to provide you with it today, but it comes from a variety of ours own intelligence methods,” he said.
During his trip to Israel immediately after the attacks, President Biden supported the Israeli government after it claimed that a misguided rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad was responsible for the explosion at another hospital in Gaza.
Biden said in remarks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “it looks like the other team did it, not you.”
Kirby laid out some signs of what the administration considers acceptable as Israel seeks to expel militants and release 240 hostages seized during the Hamas raid.
“Let me be clear: We are not in favor of attacking a hospital from the air.” “We do not want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent, helpless and sick people are simply trying to get the medical care they need deserve,” Kirby said.
“We have made it clear on several occasions that Hamas’ actions do not diminish Israel’s responsibility to protect civilians in Gaza, and we will continue to have active discussions with our counterparts about this.”
His news update came as Biden prepares to focus on economic issues in his meeting with Asia-Pacific leaders, while also planning a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A big topic on the sidelines of the conference is likely to be the Middle East conflict.
The developments came on a day when President Biden spoke optimistically about an impending deal to release hostages in Gaza.
“I believe it will happen, but I don’t want to go into details,” he said at the White House before setting off on his trip.
The Washington Post reported on a possible deal to release women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons.
Israel reportedly wants the release of all 100 women and children, although Hamas has indicated it would only release 70.