Deepening Concerns: Casualties Among US Troops in the Middle East Heighten Apprehensions of Broader Conflict

Video footage of what appears to be Israeli Special Forces operating within Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin, West Bank, on January 30 has been obtained by CNN. The attack on the hospital by undercover Israeli forces has sparked a mixed reaction among both Israeli and Palestinian officials. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas have both confirmed that three militant Palestinian men were killed in the targeted infiltration, which resulted in no other casualties.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a member of the far-right, shared surveillance footage on social media that seemed to show Israeli forces carrying weapons and disguised as medical staff, nurses, women in hijabs, as well as one individual carrying a wheelchair and another carrying a baby car seat. Ben Gvir praised the operation, calling it “impressive” and congratulating the naval commando forces of the Israeli police.

On the other hand, the Palestinian Ministry of Health strongly condemned the attack and the targeting of a health center, urging the UN General Assembly and NGOs to provide the necessary protection for medical treatment centers and emergency crews. The ministry highlighted that international law provides general and special protection for civilian sites, including hospitals. Additionally, Hamas’s military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, identified one of the casualties as a member and Ibn Sina hospital reported that one of the men killed was receiving treatment at the time of the attack, while the other two were asleep.