By Rabia Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Thursday it asked Israel about a picture with Israeli soldiers in front of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which reportedly turned into a military base by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
"We’ve seen the report on the Turkish hospital and we are in touch with Israeli counterparts to learn more. And that's really all that we can say at the moment on that," State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told Anadolu when he was asked about a picture that was widely shared on social media.
"I think, at face value when looking at that image, what we see is service members posing in front of the hospital so I don't want to draw any conclusions beyond that, but we have asked the IDF for additional information and we look forward to receiving that," he said.
Patel reiterated the US position that Israel needs to conduct operations in a way that does not harm civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the picture, saying it is "further evidence of Israel's violation of international law and international humanitarian law."
According to reports by the Haaretz newspaper in Israel and the Washington Post, which shared satellite images that showed the construction of earth berms around the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza, Israeli soldiers appear to be using the hospital as a military base.