The American president, Joe Biden , accused Hamas of war crimes. Biden said he discussed the dangerous situation at Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza's largest, during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
"The first war crime is being committed by Hamas by keeping their headquarters, their army hidden under a hospital. And this is a fact. That's what happened," Biden told reporters during a news conference Wednesday.
Israeli forces launched a raid Wednesday morning in Al-Shifa after accusing Hamas of having a tunnel inside the hospital, a claim denied by the militant group and hospital officials.
Israel said its troops found "military equipment used by Hamas, but showed no evidence of an extensive network of tunnels it claimed were used by the militant group."
Israel said it will present more evidence to support its claims of a Hamas command center, an adviser to the prime minister told CNN on Wednesday.
Conditions at Al-Shifa, which has run out of fuel and is no longer considered operational, have worsened in recent days amid intense fighting, with doctors warning of a "catastrophic" situation for patients, staff and people still housed in the hospital. The president also noted the severity of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.