'Israel's' claims of armed groups using Gaza hospitals 'vague': UN
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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk describes Gaza hospitals as having turned into a "death trap".
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People search through debris outside the site of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on October 18, 2023, in the aftermath of an overnight strike. (AFP)
A United Nations report released on Tuesday revealed that Israeli strikes targeting hospitals and surrounding areas in the Gaza Strip have brought the Palestinian territory’s healthcare system to the brink of collapse.
The report, published by the UN Human Rights Office, expressed grave concerns regarding "Israel's" adherence to international law.
"Israel's pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza, and associated combat, pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians' access to health and medical care," the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.
The 23-page report, titled "Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza," examines the period from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
According to the report, at least 136 strikes targeted 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities during this timeframe. These strikes resulted in significant casualties among healthcare workers, medics, and civilians while inflicting extensive damage to—if not complete destruction of—civilian infrastructure.
The report highlighted that international humanitarian law specifically protects medical personnel and hospitals, provided they are not involved in acts harmful to the enemy beyond their humanitarian role.
To justify its relentless attacks on the enclave's healthcare system, "Israel" has repeatedly claimed that Palestinian groups in Gaza were misusing hospitals for military purposes; however, the report deemed these allegations "vague".
"Insufficient information has so far been made publicly available to substantiate these allegations, which have remained vague and broad, and in some cases appear contradicted by publicly available information," the report stated.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described Gaza hospitals as having turned into a "death trap".
"As if the relentless bombing and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the one sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe in fact became a death trap," Turk said, stressing that "the protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all sides, at all times."
Call for independent investigations
The report concluded with a demand for independent investigations into the incidents it outlined. It underscored the need for external oversight due to the "limitations" within "Israel's" justice system concerning its military's conduct.
"It is essential that there be independent, thorough and transparent investigations of all of these incidents, and full accountability for all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law which have taken place," Turk underscored.
He also called for the immediate release of all "arbitrarily detained" medical workers and urged "Israel", as the occupying power, to prioritize access to healthcare for Palestinians.
"It must also be a priority for Israel, as the occupying power, to ensure and facilitate access to adequate healthcare for the Palestinian population, and for future recovery and reconstruction efforts to prioritise the restoration of the medical capacity which has been destroyed over the last 14 months of intense conflict."
Read more: ICRC: Gaza's healthcare system 'obliterated'
