Israeli troops enter Gaza hospital

Israeli forces stormed Gaza's largest hospital Wednesday, targeting what they believe is a Hamas command centre housed among thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said military operations were taking place at Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital — the focal point of days of deadly fighting and nearby aerial bombardments.

Youssef Abul Reesh, an official from the Hamas-run health ministry who is inside the hospital, told AFP he could see tanks inside the complex and "dozens of soldiers and commandos inside the emergency and reception buildings."

The Israel Defense Forces described it as "a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area" of the facility.

After sharp warnings from the United States and others that Al-Shifa must be protected, Israel said the raid was being executed based on "an operational necessity."

Estimates for the number of patients, staff and displaced people inside the hospital complex range from the hundreds, to tens of thousands, with true number impossible to independently verify.

The White House reiterated its concerns for their safety, shortly after the raid began.

"We do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don't want to see a firefight in a hospital," a National Security Council spokesperson said.

The official added that there should not be a situation in which "innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in the crossfire."

Earlier, the White House had said that U.S. intelligence sources corroborated Israel's claim that Hamas and another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, has buried an operational "command and control node" under Al-Shifa.