Israel troops said they are carrying out “a precise and targeted operation against Hamas” inside the al-Shifa hospital.The Israel Defence Forces in a statement said they had “conveyed to the relevant authorities in Gaza once again that all military activities within the hospital must cease within 12 hours. Unfortunately, it did not.” IDF has also asked the Hamas operatives at the hospital to surrenderThe United Nations estimates that at least 2,300 patients, staff, and displaced civilians are inside the facility, trapped by days of fierce fighting and aerial bombardments.The hospital was caring for 36 babies as of Tuesday, according to medical staff there who said there was no clear mechanism to move them despite an Israeli effort to supply incubators for an evacuation.Three premature babies have already died since the hospital ran out of fuel at the weekend to power generators that had kept their incubators going.Aid agencies and hospital staff have said that the situation is already “catastrophic” with medical procedures taking place without anesthetic, families with scant food or water living in corridors, and the stench of decomposing corpses filling the air.”There are bodies littered in the hospital complex and there is no longer electricity at the morgues,” said hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya.Both Israel and the United States have said that Hamas operatives have been using Gaza’s hospitals to hide command posts and hostages using underground tunnels.Hamas has accused US President Joe Biden of being “wholly responsible” for the operations at the al-Shifa hospital.”We hold the occupation (Israel) and President Biden wholly responsible for the assault on the Al-Shifa medical complex,” Hamas said in a statement.

Hospitals and the patients inside them “must be protected,” the White House said late Tuesday when asked about an operation by its ally Israel, which has sent troops into Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa.

The White House “won’t speak to the specifics of an ongoing Israeli military operation,” a spokesperson from the National Security Council said when asked about military move into Al-Shifa, where Israel says Palestinian group Hamas has a command center hidden beneath thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians.

“As we’ve said, we do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in the crossfire. Hospitals and patients must be protected,” the spokesperson continued.

The statement came after US President Joe Biden spoke with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu earlier Tuesday, apparently before the Israeli operation into Al-Shifa was announced.

The operation was not discussed during that call, which the White House said in an earlier statement had focused on efforts to free hostages held by Hamas.

Al-Shifa hospital has been the focal point of days of fighting and nearby aerial bombardments in Israel’s war with Hamas.

Thousands of patients, staff and displaced civilians are believed to be inside the hospital complex, according to local officials.

Witnesses have described conditions as horrific, with medical procedures taking place without anesthetic, families with scant food or water living in corridors, and the stench of decomposing corpses filling the air.

The ‘Friends’ cast who released a joint statement following the death of Matthew Perry, are now posting their own individual tributes. After Matt LeBlanc, who played the role of Joey, Courteney Cox, who played Monica Geller posted a heartfelt tribute honouring the actor. Notably, the two acted alongside one another as friends-turned-spouses on ‘Friends,’ which ran from 1994 to 2004. They married in Season 7 and adopted twins in the finale of the series’ 10th and final season.

The actress shared one of her favourite memories of him and said she was “so grateful for every moment” they worked together.

”I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day. When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now here’s one of my favorites,” she wrote.

She shared a video from Season 4, in which Chandler and Monica are revealed to have slept together while in London for her brother Ross’ wedding. Writing about the scene, she continued, ”To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one-night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story. In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say. He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind.”

See the post here:

The actress’ statement comes a few hours after fellow ‘Friends’ co-star Matt LeBlanc shared his own heartfelt message about Mr Perry. The 56-year-old actor in an emotional tribute shared a carousel of photos of the pair on the sitcom’s set. “Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among my favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend,” he wrote in the caption.

On October 31, the cast of the show released a joint statement and said that they were “utterly devastated” by the loss of one of their own.

It read, “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

The five reportedly all attended Perry’s private funeral in Los Angeles earlier this month.

The actor was found dead at his Los Angeles home last month at the age of 54, sparking an outpouring of grief from fans across the world. His cause of death has not yet been announced, as the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s office is waiting for the toxicology results.