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An explosion lights up the sky Tuesday in Rafah, southern Gaza, during an Israeli bombardment. (Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel raids Gaza hospitals, as poll shows Americans disapprove of Israeli war conduct

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Israeli forces are carrying out “an intelligence-based operation” at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday, without giving further details. The IDF said forces are also continuing their raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which began over a week ago. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Israel to abandon military plans for a ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than 1 million Palestinians have crowded to escape fighting elsewhere in the enclave.

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The Palestine Red Crescent Society, which operates al-Amal Hospital, said Tuesday that the hospital had “stopped working completely.” The IDF said forces “evacuated” medical staff and patients from the hospital before troops entered.
Most Americans disapprove of Israel’s war in Gaza, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. Some 55 percent of respondents said they disapproved, while 36 percent approved, according to the poll, a survey of 1,016 Americans this month. Nine percent said they had no opinion on the matter. The poll has a margin of error of four percentage points.
The IDF said that it located weapons and apprehended more than 500 people during its raid at al-Shifa Hospital. Humanitarian groups and aid agencies have publicly denounced the raid, citing concerns for doctors and patients.
“In Gaza today the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low,” Austin told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during talks in Washington on Tuesday, adding that there was a “moral necessity and a strategic imperative” to protect civilians.
The head of Hamas’s political operations, Ismail Haniyeh, met with Iran’s foreign minister in Tehran on Tuesday, Iran’s Press TV reported. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari condemned the move as a sign that Iran and Hamas “want to escalate the region.”
At least 32,490 people have been killed and 74,889 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 252 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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The Palestine Red Crescent Society, which operates al-Amal Hospital, said Tuesday that the hospital had “stopped working completely.” The IDF said forces “evacuated” medical staff and patients from the hospital before troops entered.
Most Americans disapprove of Israel’s war in Gaza, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. Some 55 percent of respondents said they disapproved, while 36 percent approved, according to the poll, a survey of 1,016 Americans this month. Nine percent said they had no opinion on the matter. The poll has a margin of error of four percentage points.
The IDF said that it located weapons and apprehended more than 500 people during its raid at al-Shifa Hospital. Humanitarian groups and aid agencies have publicly denounced the raid, citing concerns for doctors and patients.
“In Gaza today the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low,” Austin told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during talks in Washington on Tuesday, adding that there was a “moral necessity and a strategic imperative” to protect civilians.
The head of Hamas’s political operations, Ismail Haniyeh, met with Iran’s foreign minister in Tehran on Tuesday, Iran’s Press TV reported. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari condemned the move as a sign that Iran and Hamas “want to escalate the region.”
At least 32,490 people have been killed and 74,889 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 252 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Israel-Gaza war

Israel-Gaza war: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a quick stop in Israel as tensions are rising between the United States and Israel over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to invade Rafah. The Israeli military said Wednesday that it was continuing its raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where people said they were trapped in dire conditions.

Middle East conflict: Tensions in the region continue to rise. As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn that the move would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

U.S. involvement: U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of Iranian-linked militants, according to Iraqi officials. The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.