Sullivan: The U.S. Does Not Want to Witness War in Gaza Hospitals

Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor of the White House, said on Sunday, November 12, to CBS News that the United States wants to avoid armed conflicts inside hospitals in the Gaza Strip that endanger civilian lives and has conveyed its views to Israeli forces. Sullivan stated, "The United States does not want to witness war in hospitals where innocent people, patients receiving medical care, get caught in crossfire between the parties, and we have consulted with the Israeli Defense Forces on this matter." The Israeli army announced its readiness to evacuate infants from Gaza's largest hospital, but Palestinian officials said people remain trapped inside, with two infants having died and dozens at risk of power outages amid intense fighting around the hospital. According to Reuters, Shifa Hospital and other hospitals in northern Gaza are struggling to care for patients during Israel's month-long war aimed at eliminating Hamas and freeing hostages taken by Hamas militants in the October 7 attack on Israel, with more people being injured daily due to heavy Israeli bombardment. Sullivan mentioned that shared intelligence indicates that "Hamas uses hospitals, like many other civilian facilities, for command and control, for storing weapons, and for housing its fighters, which is a violation of the laws of war." He also stated that the United States continues to facilitate the exit of American citizens from Gaza. He said, "The gate opens and closes. Hostage lists sometimes include Americans and sometimes do not. But for now, today the gate is open. We are evacuating American citizens and their family members." On Sunday, November 12, the Israeli army announced its humanitarian readiness to evacuate children from Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest hospital. According to the Hebrew-language account of the Israeli army on social media platform X, the army allows exits from Shifa, Rantisi, and Nasser hospitals in northern Gaza and is opening another route to enable people in Gaza to move south for their safety. The Hebrew-language account of the Israeli army on social media X published a phone call from a senior army officer to the head of Shifa Hospital in Arabic, stating that "possible transfer routes from the hospital" had been provided to him in recent days. The Israeli army reminded that Hamas operates "terrorist infrastructure" in civilian buildings, including Rantisi and Shifa hospitals. The Israeli army also stated that doctors, patients, and thousands of displaced persons sheltering in northern Gaza hospitals must be evacuated to destroy Hamas operational centers beneath them. Hamas denies using hospitals in this manner. Hamas militants, financially and militarily supported by the Islamic Republic, targeted Israel with missile attacks on October 7, killing at least 1,200 people, including civilians and military personnel, and taking over 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. Israel seized 11 Hamas bases; fighting around Shifa Hospital is at the heart of Gaza. Conversations between two residents of Gaza confirm the presence of a Hamas headquarters in Shifa Hospital. Live blog | G7 foreign ministers welcome ceasefire; all hostages should be released unconditionally. Israel announced readiness to evacuate children from Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Netanyahu: Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, has nowhere to hide. Military advances towards Gaza's main hospital; Israel claims Hamas's command center is in this hospital. Yoav Galant: Israel will not stop fighting until hostages are freed. Israel: Hamas uses ambulances to transport weapons and fighters.