US State Department says it can't make assessment of Jenin hospital operation

In response to a question about Israel's undercover operation, in which agents disguised themselves as civilians and killed three people in a hospital in Jenin, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said it cannot make an assessment of the situation.

However, Miller added that "hospitals lose some of their protections if they're being used for the planning of terrorist operations", referring to a claim by Israel that the patients were planning an attack on its forces.

Attacking hospitals is a war crime under international law.

The director of the hospital said that one of the patients killed in the operation was suffering from semi-paralysis and "couldn't carry out basic functions".