The rights and wrongs of Israel and Hamas at al-Shifa hospital

The CRISIS at al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza is a tragedy in its own right and a microcosm of the awful trade-offs created by Hamas’s atrocities and Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Some of Israel’s critics believe that any military activity near or in the hospital is a war crime because civilians may be killed. In fact, because it appears likely that the hospital has been used by Hamas as a military facility, Hamas has probably turned it into a legitimate military target. Still, as a matter of international law, morality and self-interest, Israel must do more to protect civilians. That matters at al-Shifa and beyond it. Even as Israel has won effective control in northern Gaza, the already grave humanitarian crisis is about to explode in the south where over 2m people are at risk as winter looms.