Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank, where violence has surged since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said forces entered the Ibn Sina hospital in the northern city of Jenin early Tuesday and shot the three men, who Hamas claimed as members. The military said the men were using the hospital as a hideout and that at least one was planning an attack.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli forces opened fire inside the hospital’s wards and called on the international community to stop Israeli operations in hospitals.
Cease-fire talks to stop the fighting in Gaza are ongoing, but Israel has said “ significant gaps ” remain in any potential agreement.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, most of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.
The Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that sparked the war killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
Currently:
— A Palestinian is killed while with a group waving a white flag. Israel says it will look into it.
— An enemy drone that killed American troops in Jordan was mistaken for a U.S. drone, a preliminary report suggests.
— Document spells out allegations against 12 U.N. employees Israel says participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
— Israel military operation destroys a Gaza cemetery. Israel says Hamas used the site to hide a tunnel.
— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Here’s the latest:
UN ENVOY IS IN ISRAEL TO INVESTIGATE REPORTED SEXUAL ASSAULTS FROM HAMAS ATTACK
JERUSALEM – The U.N.’s special representative on sexual violence has begun a weeklong visit to Israel to look into reports of sexual assaults committed by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attack that triggered Israel’s war in Gaza.
Pramila Patten kicked off her visit on Monday by meeting with Israeli diplomats and Israel’s president, Issac Herzog, and his wife Michal. Patten encouraged victims to come forward to meet with her delegation.
“We really want to ensure that you have justice so that we put an end to this heinous act,” Patten said during the meeting, according to Herzog’s office.
Reports have emerged that sexual assaults were part of the deadly rampage by militants from Hamas and other Gaza groups who killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took more than 250 hostages from southern Israel.
Jewish tradition calls for the dead to be buried as soon as possible, and in the chaos of the beginning of the war, few autopsies were conducted, so forensic evidence of rape has been difficult to collect.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned women’s rights organizations, including the United Nations, for not immediately condemning the reports of sexual assault.
Patten is also set to meet with representatives from the Palestinian Authority, Israeli security forces, local organizations, witnesses, and released hostages during her visit.
ISRAELI FORCES RAID A HOSPITAL AND KILL 3 PALESTINIAN MILITANTS IN THE WEST BANK
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military said forces entered the Ibn Sina hospital in the northern city of Jenin early Tuesday where they shot and killed the three men, whom Hamas claimed as their members. The military said the men were using the hospital as a hideout and that at least one man was planning an attack.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli forces opened fire inside the hospital’s wards and called on the international community to stop Israeli operations in hospitals.
The West Bank has seen a surge of violence since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. More than 380 Palestinians have been killed, most in confrontations with Israeli forces during arrest raids or violent protests. Israel has arrested nearly 3,000 in its crackdown on militancy in the territory since Oct. 7.
Israeli forces have also targeted hospitals in Gaza, where the military says militants hide or operate from. Those raids have further threatened a health care system in the embattle territory that is struggling to cope with the fallout from the war.