UN report finds Israel has destroyed Gaza's health system, 'in defiance' of international law
Israel's attacks on hospitals in Gaza have destroyed the health system in the Palestinian enclave and raised serious concerns about compliance with international law, the UN Human Rights Office said in a report on Tuesday.
The 23-page report, which records various attacks between October 12, 2023, and June 30, 2024, concluded that since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the conduct of the conflict in Gaza has had serious consequences. Palestinian access to health care.
“The destruction of the health care system in Gaza, and the level of killing of patients, workers and other civilians in these attacks, is a direct result of the disregard for international humanitarian law and human rights,” the statement said.
The Israeli attack closed Gaza's main hospital on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Kamal Adwan Hospital was the last operating hospital in northern Gaza, and WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris says this 'vital' line of aid to the Palestinian people is gone.
Israel's UN representative calls the report's data fabricated
Daniel Meron, Israel's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, described the report's details as false. He told X that Israel was acting in accordance with international law, would never target innocent civilians and accused Hamas of using Gaza hospitals for what he called “terrorist activity.”
The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using hospitals as command centers for military operations and said people detained by Israel at the facilities are suspected of being soldiers.
The UN report refers to such arguments, but said there is not enough additional information to confirm them.
Israel a few days ago carried out an operation against hospitals in Gaza that received criticism from the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), among others.
The report said that deliberate attacks on hospitals and places where the sick and wounded – as long as they are not military targets – would be a war crime.
It also warned that systematic human rights abuses could amount to crimes against humanity.
Israel has always rejected such suggestions.
'death trap'
The UN said in response to its report, the Israeli government said its forces had taken extensive measures to limit civilian casualties and reduce disruption, including providing aid and evacuation routes, and setting up hospitals.
In a statement, Volker Türk, the UN commissioner for human rights, said, “As if the constant bombing and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the one place where Palestinians should feel safe has actually become a death trap.”
Hamas led an attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in Gaza on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures.
More than 45,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's subsequent war in Gaza, Palestinian health officials said.
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