Live updates | Israeli forces raid a West Bank hospital, killing 3 Palestinian militants

Israeli

forces working undercover

have killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank, where violence has surged since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said forces entered the Ibn Sina hospital in the northern city of Jenin early Tuesday and shot the three men, who Hamas claimed as members. The military said the men were using the hospital as a hideout and that at least one was planning an attack.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli forces opened fire inside the hospital’s wards and called on the international community to stop Israeli operations in hospitals.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there will be no military withdrawal from Gaza or release of thousands of jailed militants, two of Hamas' key demands in

ongoing cease-fire talks

.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, most of them women and minors, according to

the Health Ministry

in the Hamas-ruled territory. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.

The Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that sparked the war killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

Currently:

— A Palestinian

with a group waving a white flag

is killed. Israel says it will look into it.

— An enemy drone that killed American troops in Jordan was

mistaken for a U.S. drone

, a preliminary report suggests.

— Document spells out

allegations against 12 U.N. employees

Israel says participated in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

—

Israel military operation destroys a Gaza cemetery

. Israel says Hamas used the site to hide a tunnel.

— Find more of AP’s coverage at

https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

.

Here's the latest:

JERUSALEM — An Israeli parliamentary committee has recommended expelling a lawmaker for supporting the South African genocide case against Israel in the U.N. world court.

The Knesset’s House Committee on Tuesday passed the measure to expel lawmaker Ofer Cassif by a 14-2 margin. The proposal now goes to the full 120-member parliament. Approval would require a 90-vote supermajority.

Cassif is the lone Jewish member of a small predominantly Arab party in parliament called the Joint List.

After Tuesday’s vote, Cassif said claims that he supports Hamas are a “blatant lie.”

He called himself a victim of “political persecution and silencing.”

In response to South Africa’s case, the International Court of Justice last week called on Israel to take steps to prevent a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It rejected an appeal to order an immediate cease-fire.

Israeli leaders have rejected the accusations, saying their war in Gaza is against Hamas, not the broader civilian populations.

ISRAELI LEADER REJECTS HAMAS' KEY DEMANDS IN CEASE-FIRE TALKS

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not withdraw from Gaza or release thousands of jailed militants, two of the key demands Hamas has made in ongoing indirect cease-fire talks.

During an event in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Netanyahu again vowed that the war would not end without Israel's “absolute victory” over Hamas.

“We will not end this war without achieving all of our goals,” he said. “We will not withdraw the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip, and we will not release thousands of terrorists.”

Representatives from the United States, Israel, Qatar and Egypt have held talks in recent days aimed at producing a cease-fire agreement that would include the release of the remaining hostages who were captured during the Oct. 7 Hamas raid that triggered the war.

Qatar and Egypt often mediate with Hamas, which rules Gaza.

Earlier Tuesday, Hamas’ supreme political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said the group was studying the latest terms for a deal. Haniyeh said Hamas' priority was the “full withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza and that any agreement should lead to a long-term cease-fire.

Hamas is also expected to demand the release of a large number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Hamas captured around 250 people on Oct. 7. It released more than 100, mostly women and children, during a November cease-fire in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. It is still holding around 130 hostages, but several are believed to be dead.

UN ENVOY IS IN ISRAEL TO INVESTIGATE REPORTED SEXUAL ASSAULTS FROM HAMAS ATTACK

JERUSALEM – The U.N.’s special representative on sexual violence has begun a weeklong visit to Israel to look into reports of sexual assaults committed by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attack that triggered Israel’s war in Gaza.

Pramila Patten kicked off her visit on Monday by meeting with Israeli diplomats and Israel’s president, Issac Herzog, and his wife Michal. Patten encouraged victims to come forward to meet with her delegation.

“We really want to ensure that you have justice so that we put an end to this heinous act,” Patten said during the meeting, according to Herzog’s office.

Reports have emerged

that sexual assaults were part of the

deadly rampage

by militants from Hamas and other Gaza groups who killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took more than 250 hostages from southern Israel.

Jewish tradition calls for the dead to be buried as soon as possible, and in the chaos of the beginning of the war, few autopsies were conducted, so forensic evidence of rape has been difficult to collect.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned women’s rights organizations, including the United Nations, for not immediately condemning the reports of sexual assault.

Patten is also set to meet with representatives from the Palestinian Authority, Israeli security forces, local organizations, witnesses, and released hostages during her visit.

ISRAELI FORCES RAID A HOSPITAL AND KILL 3 PALESTINIAN MILITANTS IN THE WEST BANK

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military said forces entered the Ibn Sina hospital in the northern city of Jenin early Tuesday where they shot and killed the three men, whom Hamas claimed as their members. The military said the men were using the hospital as a hideout and that at least one man was planning an attack.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli forces opened fire inside the hospital’s wards and called on the international community to stop Israeli operations in hospitals.

The West Bank has seen a

surge of violence

since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. More than 380 Palestinians have been killed, most in

confrontations with Israeli forces

during arrest raids or violent protests. Israel has arrested nearly 3,000 in its crackdown on militancy in the territory since Oct. 7.

Israeli forces have also targeted hospitals in Gaza, where the military says militants hide or operate from. Those raids have further threatened a health care system in the embattle territory that is struggling to cope with the fallout from the war.