Blinken was in the region trying to broker an arrangement that could bring some respite in Israel’s war against Hamas, which is entering its fifth month.

Israel has said its offensive will eventually reach Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge and are now living.

The demolition along the path represents only a sliver of the wider damage from the Israel-Hamas war.

The Israeli military said the militants were using the hospital as a hideout, without providing evidence. Hamas claimed the 3 men as members, calling the operation ‘a cowardly assassination.’

The Islamic cemetery and a mosque were destroyed in the process of unearthing tunnels said to be used by Hamas.