Hamas calls on UN to inspect Gaza hospitals to refute Israeli claims
6 Min Read
The Israeli claims entail al-Qassam using Gaza hospitals for military purposes; a mere allegation with not a single proof provided.
-
A woman and her child wounded in a hospital in Gaza, Palestine (AP)
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been called by the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance Faction, Hamas, on Sunday to establish an international committee for the inspection of Gaza's hospitals in an effort to disprove Israeli occupation forces claims that they were being used for military purposes.
This follows a statement by IOF spokesperson LTC Jonathan Conricus and the entity's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, demanding international organizations like the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to denounce Hamas' alleged military use of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Read next: IOF target Al-Rantisi Children Hospital, several martyrs during raids
In a mighty blow to the IOF, Hamas issued a statement calling for an inspection of the hospitals to put an end to these claims. "We call on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to form an international committee to visit hospitals in the Gaza Strip to check the false version ... that they are being used as shelters," the statement read, adding that all hospitals in Gaza are open to visits by journalists and international organizations alike.
Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed that the Israeli occupation army targeted more than 100 hospitals and medical centers and put about 16 hospitals out of service across the Gaza Strip.
The movement stated that what confirms that the IOF spokesperson is lying is the fact that “the occupation committed the massacre at the Baptist Hospital, which was committed by the Air Force with an American missile, as confirmed by the facts and all international institutions, which also refuted the claim that the attack was caused by a Resistance missile."
According to the movement, this only reflects "the occupation's systematic approach of targeting the medical sector, the wounded, and the displaced under various pretexts and lies, not to mention that all hospitals are open to journalists and international institutions around the clock."
It is worth noting that the Israeli claims have been worded frequently, with no proof provided in support of the allegations.
'Doctors without humanity'
It is not only the IOF committing the massacres but even Israeli doctors are calling for the commitment of those massacres, as 100 Israeli doctors signed a petition yesterday calling for the destruction of Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli occupation embarks on that exact journey.
The petition, titled "Doctors for the rights of [Israeli] soldiers," calls for the bombing of a Palestinian hospital housing thousands of refugees who are seeking shelter there because, generally, bombing hospitals is not allowed under international law, though "Israel" has proven time and time again that it has no regard for such stipulations.
The Israeli doctors see that Palestinian hospitals have become a "legitimate target" for the Israeli occupation forces, upholding the unsubstantiated narrative that Palestinian Resistance groups are using hospitals for protection.
"They built terrorist headquarters inside the hospitals with the understanding that no harm would come to them," the petition says about Hamas. "That murderous terrorist organization spares no means and brutally commits murder and unprecedented atrocities against people, women and children - therefore any place where its people hide and/or is used for terrorist activity is a legitimate target for destruction - even if it is houses patients."
Read more: ‘Israel’ bombs Gaza’s only hospital for cancer patients
Israeli attacks on hospitals are nothing new. Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, "Israel" intensified attacks against the medical facilities, whether bombing them directly or their vicinity, each time under a different pretext.
Just last night, Israeli occupation forces targeted the third floor of Rantisi Children's Hospital in Gaza, severely affecting its infrastructure.
On November 3, the Health Ministry in Gaza revealed that Israeli occupation forces targeted an ambulance convoy departing from Al-Shifa Hospital heading to the Rafah border crossing.
Ashraf al-Qudra, the Health Ministry Spokesperson, stated that the Red Cross was informed about the moving of the convoy in accordance with international law.
Al-Qudra maintained that the IOF targeted the convoy "at the gate of the hospital and then at the Ansar square, the occupation targeted the convoy in more than one location outside Al-Shifa hospital."
Palestinian media then reported that the strike led to dozens killed and injured.
After killing scores in a strike on a convoy of ambulances, the IOF, in an attempt to justify the massacre, claimed that it was used by the #Palestinian Resistance. pic.twitter.com/kKum1CBfRo
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 3, 2023
Meanwhile, on October 31, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli airstrikes hit the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza, which is the only medical facility in the besieged territory specifically designated for cancer patients.
According to the hospital's medical director, Mohammed Abu Nada, the area surrounding the hospital resembles a war zone, and the hospital faces constant threats of bombardment by "Israel".
Abu Nada appealed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging him to intervene and halt the Israeli aggression against the hospital and its patients.
The director-general of hospitals in the Gaza Ministry of Health stressed that the most pressing concern currently is the continuous shelling of hospitals and their surroundings.
It is worth noting that on October 30, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reported that numerous evacuation orders have been issued in recent days to the operational hospitals in Northern Gaza.
"All 13 hospitals still operational in Northern Gaza have received repeated evacuation orders in recent days," Dujarric told reporters.
He pointed out that a number of hospitals were subjected to bombings and subsequent evacuations over the weekend.
Notably, on October 17, an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City resulted in the loss of a minimum of 500 lives, leading to extensive international and Arab condemnations.
In a related context, according to Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila, Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip have led to the loss of over 150 healthcare workers' lives and the destruction of 27 ambulances.
"Israeli crimes against the health care system of the Gaza Strip resulted in the death of 150 medical workers and the destruction and failure of 27 ambulances," al-Kaila said in a statement published by the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The Health Minister also reported that 16 hospitals and 32 primary healthcare centers had to cease their operations due to Israeli strikes.
