The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Tuesday rejected the accusation by the US government, which accused it of using hospitals in the Gaza Strip for military operations, seeing in them a US “green light” for Israel “to commit new massacres”.

“These statements give a green light to the Israeli occupation to commit new barbaric massacres in hospitals, with the aim of destroying the health system of Gaza,” the Palestinian Islamist movement said in a statement, with which it “condemns and rejects” the American accusation. .

“The US bears direct responsibility” for “allowing Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza,” Hamas added in its statement, written in English.

The US on Tuesday night accused Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement of using a “command and control center at Ash Shifa Hospital”, the largest in Gaza, according to John Kirby, the spokesman for the White House National Security Council. He essentially repeated an accusation originally made by the Israeli authorities.

This is “a war crime,” Mr. Kerby said during a press conference he gave to editors accredited to the US presidency.

Hamas has repeatedly denied using Gaza hospitals for military operations.

Thousands of civilians remained yesterday Tuesday trapped in the Shifa hospital – the largest in the small Palestinian enclave – where the situation is described as “horrendous” by the UN, due to hostilities between the Israeli army and fighters of the military arm of Hamas.