White House Spokesperson Says His Party Will Not Share Intelligence Information About Hamas And Al Shifa Hospital

John Kirby with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - The United States will not share Israeli intelligence information or outline its own intelligence assessment regarding the use of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a command center and possibly a storage facility by the Hamas group, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.

President Joe Biden's government has not yet classified US intelligence sources, "because some of the same channels are used to monitor the status of hostages," a source with knowledge said.

The intelligence information is "definite" the source said, and includes wiretapping of communications from Hamas fighters. The tapping was first reported on Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal.

The United States believes in the assessment of its own intelligence agency regarding Hamas activities at Gaza facilities, Kirby said.

He declined to explain or provide details over the past few days.

Earlier, Israeli forces entered Al Shifa Hospital on Wednesday, following air bombings and ground operations targeting Hamas militants said to have a command center under the hospital.

When asked if Israel had shared new intelligence information since the raids on hospitals began, Kirby said, "I will not talk about specific intelligence that may have occurred between the two of us."

"They really have to talk about this, but as I said a few days ago, we are confident in our intelligence assessment of how Hamas used the hospital," Kirby said at a briefing.

According to him, Hamas militants took refuge in hospitals and used the facility as a shield against military action, putting patients and medical staff in danger.

"We have intelligence information that assures us, Hamas uses alpha as its command and control center, and most likely also as a storage facility," he explained.

"We are still confident in the accuracy of the intelligence," he said.