It’s my hope and expectation that there will be less intrusive action relative to the hospital,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he had expressed concerns to Israel on the issue. The hospital must be protected.’

Biden, who spoke as he was signing a women’s health research initiative alongside First Lady Jill Biden, added that he was in contact with the Israelis on the matter.He said that a deal for the release of prisoners was still being negotiated with the help of the Gulf state of Qatar.

Israel argues that its Hamas enemies built their military headquarters under the Al-Shifa hospital — a charge Hamas denies — while UN agencies and doctors in the facility warned that a lack of generator fuel was claiming lives, including those of infants.