Joe Biden accuses Hamas of war crimes

Joe Biden has accused Hamas of war crimes for operating a military command centre under the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza after an Israeli military raid uncovered guns and military equipment.

US President Joe Biden at an APEC reception in San Francisco, California, on Thursday (AEDT). Picture: AFP

Joe Biden has accused Hamas of war crimes for operating a military command centre under the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza after an ­Israeli military raid on the hospital complex uncovered guns and military equipment.

Israel’s high-risk assault on the hospital did not result in gunfights inside the facility and no deaths were reported in the first phase of the operation, but the Israeli Defence Forces said the raids were ongoing.

It came amid reports that Hamas had agreed in principle to release 50 Israeli hostages in return for a three to five-day ceasefire, an increase in humanitarian aid and the release of prisoners from Israeli jails.

Israel said the raid on the al-Shifa hospital uncovered proof that Hamas used the facility for terrorist purposes, the reason cited for the Israeli military’s decision to enter the complex.

The IDF said it located a room in the hospital where it found “technological assets, along with military and combat equipment used by Hamas”.

“In another department in the hospital, the soldiers located an operational command centre and technological assets belonging to Hamas (which indicate) that the terrorist organisation uses the hospital for terrorist purposes.“ the IDF said.

It released footage of the MRI wing of the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where it said it found AK-47s, grenades, military uniforms and a battle vest with the insignia of Hamas’s military wing.

Israel did not initially provide any evidence of a network of underground tunnels that it said existed under the hospital and which was a part of the stated reason for entering the hospital, the largest in Gaza. What is uncovered in the hospital complex in coming days will impact international opinion as to whether Israel’s decision to send troops into the hospital was justified.

Israel said it would provide further evidence to back up its claims in the days ahead.

White House spokesman John Kirby said the US was comfortable with its intelligence assessment that Hamas was using the hospital as a command and control node.

Hamas, which denies it operates from the hospital, said Israel’s claim was a “blatant lie and cheap propaganda”. It claimed the hospital was under the control of Israeli forces and that “We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the lives and safety of medical personnel, the wounded, the sick, premature children and the displaced”.

IDF spokesman Daniel Haggard said the military operation at the hospital was “still under way and will take time. It’s a complicated area, which still has many people. We need to conduct (it) in the right pace,” he said.

Israel’s decision to send military personnel into the hospital was criticised by the UN, Turkey and Jordan.

The UN’s Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Martin Griffiths, said he was “appalled by reports of military raids in al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds,” he said.

The US backed the hospital operation, which it said was justified by the existence of Hamas operations there.

“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,” the US President said while attending the APEC summit in San Francisco.

Mr Biden said he had been “deeply involved” in negotiations over the release of hostages with Israel and Qatar, which is acting as an intermediary for Hamas.

“I am mildly hopeful,” he said about the prospects for the release of the 50 hostages and said he was “working on how I can be helpful in getting the hostages released and have a period of time where there’s a pause long enough to let that happen.”

Both the US and Israel have opposed any ceasefire in the conflict unless it is in exchange for the release of hostages.

As Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza continues, regional tensions continue to rise with a US navy destroyer shooting down a drone in the Red Sea that was fired from Yemen.

“The USS Thomas Hudner engaged a drone that originated from Yemen, and was heading in the direction of the ship,” a Pentagon spokesman said.

The US has rushed warships, troops and air missile defences to the Middle East to protect its troops in Syria and Iraq from growing attacks by Iran-backed militia in the region.

Meanwhile the UN Security Council approved a resolution calling for “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in Gaza after weeks of haggling over the wording.