Israel-Hamas War, Day 39: Gaza Hospitals Become Epicenter Of Fighting, Biden Calls For Patient Safeguards

It’s been 39 days since the start of the war, as the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza are increasingly centering around hospitals, with reports of Hamas using these medical facilities for military purposes, leading to international concerns and diplomatic discussions.

• IDF exposes Hamas hospital location: A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) invited the CNN to visit Al-Rantisi children's hospital on Monday. There, the IDF identified parts of the hospital’s basement that served as a Hamas "command and control center" and possibly a site for holding hostages. CNN teams embedded with the IDF were shown weapons and explosives in a room beneath the hospital, which Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari described as an "armory."

• Hamas and Gaza officials deny IDF’s claims: Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, along with Gazan health officials and hospital directors, have denied Israeli claims about hospitals, particularly Al-Shifa Hospital, being used as command posts for fighters. They label these allegations as "false and misleading propaganda," as reported by Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
  
• President Biden’s concern for Gaza’s hospitals: President Joe Biden emphasized the need to protect hospitals in Gaza, expressing hope for less intrusive actions regarding these facilities. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan echoed these sentiments, underscoring the importance of protecting patients.
  
• WHO’s concern over Gaza’s healthcare: The World Health Organization has reported that 22 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are nonfunctional due to various factors, including lack of fuel. The UN health agency is calling for an immediate ceasefire, highlighting the dire situation of the remaining hospitals struggling with limited supplies.
  
• Mass grave for hospital casualties: Reuters reported that Palestinians in Gaza’s largest hospital are preparing a mass grave to bury patients who have died. Despite Israel’s offer to send portable incubators, there appears to be no evacuation plan for babies in the hospital.
  
• Shelling along the Israel-Lebanon border: Lebanese national news agency NNA reported intense shelling along the southern border with Israel. IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that an army tank had responded to a "terrorist squad" attempting to launch missiles from the Lebanese territory.
  
• Diplomatic engagements for hostage release: According to the Times of Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is meeting with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, in Geneva to discuss the situation of Israelis and foreign nationals held by Hamas in Gaza. Cohen is also scheduled to meet with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Market Reactions

Israeli domestic stocks in the Tel Aviv 125 Index surged by 1.2% on Tuesday, marking a significant rebound after three consecutive sessions of losses.

Simultaneously, the Israeli shekel exhibited strength, appreciating by 1% against the U.S. dollar, effectively reversing a downward trend that had persisted for three consecutive sessions.

These positive developments in the Israeli financial market were part of a broader global trend, as global markets rallied universally on Tuesday, following a U.S. inflation report that was softer than expected. In particular, consumer prices demonstrated a noteworthy decline, dropping from a year-on-year rate of 3.7% to 3.2% in October, which was below the anticipated 3.3%.

This stronger deceleration in inflation had a notable impact on the U.S. dollar index (DXY), tracked by the Invesco DB USD Index Bullish Fund ETF UUP, with the greenback gauge falling by 1% at the opening bell, reflecting the growing sentiment among traders that the Federal Reserve may have concluded its series of interest rate hikes.

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