IOF conducting ethnic cleansing by bombing Gaza hospitals: Haaretz
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Haaretz says the attack on Gaza’s hospitals appears to be part of a broader strategy to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza, where the Israeli military has destroyed nearly all homes and infrastructure.
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This picture shows the damage at the Al-Wafaa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip on December 29, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli media reported Monday on the deliberate Israeli attack on hospitals in the Gaza Strip, describing it as part of an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign.
Haaretz reported that the attack on Gaza’s hospitals appears to be part of a broader strategy to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza, where the Israeli military has destroyed nearly all homes and infrastructure to prevent the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced residents.
According to Haaretz, the destruction of medical facilities leaves northern Gaza without any healthcare infrastructure, accelerating the forced displacement of its population. The sick and wounded are now being forced to flee south in search of medical treatment.
The newspaper emphasized that such a large, populated area, especially during wartime, should not be left without functioning hospitals. It stressed that international law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, protects hospitals from attacks during wars.
The report concluded by noting that northern Gaza is already in ruins, with the Israeli military focusing on completing its destruction. Haaretz condemned the attack, labeling it an illegal act and asserting that hospitals should never be targeted under any circumstances.
This comes shortly after the World Health Organization stated on Saturday that the Kamal Adwan Hospital is now vacant after an Israeli military attack rendered it out of service, leaving northern Gaza without its last major health facility.
The WHO expressed its outrage over Friday’s assault, condemning how "hospitals have once again become battlegrounds."
In its statement, the WHO emphasized that "the systematic dismantling of the health system and a siege for over 80 days on north Gaza puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk," adding that "Kamal Adwan is now empty."
On Friday, the remaining 15 critical patients, along with 50 caregivers and 20 health workers, were transferred to the Indonesian Hospital, which the WHO described as a "destroyed and non-functional" facility.
The WHO also highlighted that relocating and treating these patients under such dire conditions poses significant risks to their survival. The statement stressed, "WHO is deeply concerned for their wellbeing, as well as for the Kamal Adwan Hospital director."
The UN health agency confirmed at least 50 attacks on healthcare facilities in or near the hospital since October, although it refrains from assigning blame for these attacks.
"With Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals entirely out of service, and Al-Awda Hospital barely able to function due to severe damage from recent airstrikes, the healthcare lifeline for those in north Gaza is reaching a breaking point," the WHO stated.
It further noted that "WHO and partners' efforts to sustain the hospitals' operations have been undone."
The WHO called for urgent measures to "ensure that hospitals in north Gaza can be supported to become functional again."
The organization stressed that health facilities, workers, and patients "must be actively protected and never be attacked, nor used for military purposes," but these calls "remain unheard."
Read more: IOF burn Kamal Adwan hospital after forcibly removing staff, patients
