The Israeli military said about 2 a.m. local time that it is carrying out a “precise and targeted operation against Hamas” in Gaza’s largest hospital. The al-Shifa hospital complex, which has run out of fuel and is effectively no longer operating, is housing hundreds of patients and health staffers and thousands of displaced people. Israel and the United States have asserted that Hamas fighters are operating out of facilities designated for humanitarian purposes. Doctors, first responders and the few aid workers still left in the area — working under increasingly dire conditions — have denied that militants are using them for cover. Hamas criticized the Biden administration’s comments after the announcement by the Israel Defense Forces, saying the White House gave “a green light” for the operation.
