GENEVA: According to a United Nations assessment released on Tuesday, medical care in the Palestinian territories is in danger of collapsing due to Israeli assaults on and near hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
According to the UN human rights office’s findings, these strikes raise serious questions about Israel’s adherence to international law.
According to a statement from the UN human rights office, “Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza, along with associated combat, pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians’ access to health and medical care.”
“Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza” was the title of its 23-page report, which examined the period from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
According to the report, there were at least 136 strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities during this time, resulting in a high death toll among physicians, nurses, medics, and other civilians as well as serious damage to, if not outright destruction of, civilian infrastructure.
“Death trap”
According to the research, hospitals and medical professionals are particularly protected by international humanitarian law as long as they don’t carry out or aren’t used for acts that injure the enemy outside of their humanitarian duties.
It concluded that Israel’s repeated allegations that Palestinian organizations were inappropriately using Gaza hospitals for military purposes were “vague.” “To date, not enough information has been made publicly available to support these claims, which have remained general and ambiguous and in certain instances seem to be at odds with publicly available information,” the report stated.
Hospitals in Gaza have turned into a “death trap,” according to UN human rights chief Volker Turk. “The one sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe actually turned into a death trap, as if the ceaseless bombing and the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza weren’t enough,” he said.
“Healthcare facilities must always be protected during times of war, and all parties involved must respect this principle.”
Request that investigations be conducted
According to UN-reliable estimates from the health ministry of the Hamas-run enclave, Israel’s military operation in Gaza has killed over 45,500 individuals, the bulk of whom were civilians.
The report’s conclusion called for independent, credible inquiries of the instances described, citing the “limitations” of Israel’s legal system with regard to the actions of its military.
“It is imperative that all of these incidents be investigated independently, completely, and transparently, and that all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law that have occurred be fully held accountable,” stated Turk.
