Biden accuses Hamas of committing a “war crime” for allegedly using Gaza hospital as command node
US President Joe Biden has accused Hamas of committing a “war crime” for operating what the US and Israel claim is a command node under the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. Biden made the accusation during a news conference at the Filoli Estate on November 15, in Woodside, California.
Biden claimed that during his meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, he discussed the dangerous situation at the hospital, Gaza’s largest. “You have a circumstance where the first war crime is being committed by Hamas by having their headquarters, their military hidden under a hospital. And that’s a fact. That’s what’s happened,” Biden told reporters.
Israeli forces launched a raid early Wednesday morning on Al-Shifa, after accusing Hamas of operating from tunnels beneath the vast complex. The claim was denied by the militant group and hospital officials. Israel said its troops found “military equipment used by Hamas,” but offered no evidence yet of a vast tunnel network it claimed was used by the militant group. Israel has stated that it will present more evidence to support their claims of a Hamas command center.
Conditions at Al-Shifa have deteriorated rapidly in recent days amid intense fighting, with doctors warning of a “catastrophic” situation for patients, staff and displaced people still inside. Wednesday’s raid has also sparked widespread international criticism.
Biden noted that the US has called on Israel to be “incredibly careful” as it targets Hamas in the area but suggested that action was justified. He also mentioned the savagery of Hamas’ previous attacks in Israel and the need for Israeli forces to protect the people in the hospital.
In a follow-up exchange with CNN, Biden stated that he was absolutely confident based on intelligence he’d seen that Hamas was operating a command center under the Al-Shifa hospital but declined to share details on the evidence.