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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted the people of Jharkhand on the state’s formation day and said it is known for its tribal population’s bravery, valour and pride besides its mineral riches.

“My family members from Jharkhand have made significant contribution to the country’s progress,” he said on X, wishing the eastern state a bright future.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Jharkhand on Tuesday evening. He will launch a Rs 24,000-crore scheme for the welfare of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups on Wednesday.

The scheme is being launched to mark the birth anniversary of revered tribal warrior Birsa Munda. The day is also celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. Modi also paid tributes to the iconic personality in a post on X. 

In a sharp response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks on the “killing of women, of children and of babies” in Gaza, his Israel counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu said it is Hamas and not israel that should be held accountable.

Referring to the October 7 attacks that left 1,200 Israelis dead, Prime Minister Netanyahu posted on X, “It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust.”

.@JustinTrudeau

It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust.

While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas is doing…

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 15, 2023

“While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way,” Netanyahu added.

He said when Israel provides civilians in Gaza humanitarian corridors and safe zones, Hamas prevents them from leaving at gunpoint.

“It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable for committing a double war crime – targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians. The forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism,” the Israeli Prime Minister said.

Trudeau’s remarks on the Gaza Strip situation came amid growing concern globally on the situation in the densely-populated piece of land. Israel’s war against Hamas has already claimed over 11,000 lives in Gaza and displaced over 1.5 million people. Heartbreaking images of newborns laid side-by-side to keep them warm after incubators stopped working due to power cuts have drawn the world’s attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding there.

Three out of 39 premature babies at gaza’s Al Shifa hospital died after the facility ran out of fuel to power generators powering incubators.

“I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint. The world is watching, on TV, on social media – we’re hearing the testimonies of doctors, family members, survivors, kids who have lost their parents,” Trudeau said during a news conference in British Columbia. “The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop.”

These were his toughest remarks on Israel since the war began.

The Canadian Prime Minister also said Hamas needed to stop using Palestinians as human shields and should release the 200-odd Israeli hostages it holds.