Disguised Israeli troops raid West Bank hospital

Israeli troops killed three members of Palestininian militant group Hamas in a raid of a hospital in the West Bank Tuesday, officials said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered the Ibn Sina hospital, disguised as civilian women and medical workers, in the northern city of Jenin. The military killed three men, who Hamas claimed as members.

The IDF said the men killed were using the hospital as a hideout and that at least one was planning an attack, after allegedly transferring weapons and ammunition to others, The Associated Press reported.

The Health Ministry said Israeli troops opened fire in the hospital, but a clinic spokesperson said there was no exchange of fire, according to AP, suggesting it was a targeted killing.  

Hamas has frequently used hospitals as hideouts for military activity in an effort to provoke international condemnation on Israeli tactics.

Health officials in the region called on the international community to urge Israel’s military to stop hospital operations. Israel has also come under fire for targeting Gaza hospitals, which Hamas has used to hide weapons, per the AP.

The recent attacks are part of Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, after the group carried out a deadly surprise attack on Israel in October. The Oct. 7 massacre left 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 240 taken as hostages.

In the months since, Israel’s strikes have killed more than 26,700 people killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which said about two-thirds of the people are women and children.

About 85 percent of the population has been displaced in the fighting and a quarter of the residents have been pushed to starvation, the AP reported.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.