Jerusalem: The UN Human Rights Office says Israel’s attacks on and around hospitals have pushed Gaza’s health system “to the brink of total collapse” and may have violated international law.
Israeli forces have besieged and raided at least 10 hospitals across Gaza since the start of the war, some of them multiple times. Israel accuses Hamas militants of using health facilities for military purposes but has provided little evidence.
Last week, Israeli troops raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in isolated northern Gaza and detained its director. The army said it apprehended 240 suspected militants.
The UN report released Tuesday said it documented 136 strikes on at least 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities from October 12, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
“This report graphically details the destruction of the health care system in Gaza, and the extent of killing of patients, staff, and other civilians in these attacks in blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement.
The report noted Israel’s allegations and that hospitals lose their protection under international law if they are used for military purposes. But it said “insufficient information has so far been made available to substantiate these allegations, which have remained vague and broad, and in some cases appear contradicted by publicly available information.” Israel has long dismissed such allegations from UN bodies, which it says are biased against it.
The nearly 15-month war, ignited by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack into Israel, has forced most of Gaza’s hospitals to close and left the rest only partially functioning.
