The Bottom Line
- 39th day of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
- The Israeli army, which entered Gaza City, a presumed stronghold of the Islamist movement, launched a "targeted" operation in Al-Shifa Hospital, suspected of being the terrorists' command center.
- Families of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip put pressure on Netanyahu on Tuesday night, demanding that he agree to a deal with Hamas to secure their release.
- The Israeli prime minister has so far rejected Hamas' demands for a multi-day ceasefire in exchange for their release.
- Qatar, which is acting as an intermediary in the talks, called on both sides to "seize the opportunity" before it is too late.
06:57
What is the fate of civilians?
Several thousand people, patients, staff and civilians displaced by the war, are crammed into the site of al-Shifa hospital, which was surrounded by the Israeli army. The hospital's director said at least "179 bodies" had been buried in a mass grave on Tuesday. The Israeli army said Wednesday morning that it has "medical teams and Arabic-speaking people who have been trained specifically for this sensitive and complex environment so that no harm is done to civilians used by Hamas as human shields," it added, without specifying its targets.
06:45
U.S. says Hamas is using al-Shifa hospital as 'command center'
Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group use "a command and control center from al-Shifa Hospital" in Gaza, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday. He said in an interview with reporters that the United States had been able to confirm this with its own intelligence sources, and added that the hospital site was used to store weapons.
06:40
What is the situation in the hospital?
Speaking to al-Jazeera, the director of health services in the Gaza Strip said he was "inside" the hospital, where he said patients were in a state of panic, and heard the sounds of explosions. A senior Hamas administration official told AFP he saw "tanks" and "commandos" in the hospital compound. "For several days, Al-Shifa has been operating at a slower pace, without electricity and under control by the IDF, which claims that the place serves as a headquarters for Hamas terrorists.
06:35
Gaza: Israel launched a "targeted" operation in Al-Shifa hospital, which it accuses of sheltering Hamas operatives
The Israeli army launched a "targeted" intervention against Hamas operatives in the Al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday night. "The Israel Defense Forces are conducting a precision operation in a specific area of the hospital," the army said in an English-language statement. Earlier, the health ministry in the Gaza Strip said it had been notified by the Israeli army of its intention to carry out an operation at the hospital in the heart of the conflict between Hamas and the Israeli army.
06:30
Hello and welcome to this live stream
Together, we will follow the latest developments in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.