Israeli strikes on Gaza hospitals lack justification: OHCHR
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From October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024, at least 136 strikes targeted 27 of Gaza's 38 hospitals and 12 clinics, severely affecting access to medical care.
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Imam Islam Abu Suaied prays over the bodies of two babies before their burial at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sunday, December 29, 2024. (AP)
A report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has condemned Israeli actions targeting hospitals in the Gaza Strip, stating that sufficient evidence to justify these attacks has not been provided.
"The Israeli military has not provided sufficient information to enable independent substantiation of its statements when made, that the hospitals, ambulances, and personnel attacked had lost their special protection and constituted military objectives," the report stated.
From October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024, at least 136 strikes targeted 27 of Gaza's 38 hospitals and 12 clinics, according to the report, severely affecting access to medical care. The cumulative impact of these attacks left Gaza's healthcare system "on the brink of total collapse," depriving Palestinians of critical health services during a time of immense need.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk strongly criticized the strikes, describing medical facilities as sanctuaries turned into "death traps." He noted that the killings of patients, medical staff, and civilians sheltering in hospitals were "a blatant violation of international laws."
Read more: ICRC: Gaza's healthcare system 'obliterated'
'Israel' must pay for inflicting maximum suffering on Gaza
A group of United Nations rights experts on Monday called for accountability from "Israel" for its violations of international law and the severe suffering inflicted on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
In a joint statement, the experts asserted that "Israel" has repeatedly violated the rules of war with impunity, accusing its allies of shielding it from accountability.
"International humanitarian law comprises a set of universal and binding rules to protect civilian objects and persons who are not, or are no longer, directly participating in hostilities and limits permissible means and methods of warfare," the experts said.
"Rather than abide by these rules, Israel has openly defied international law time and again, inflicting maximum suffering on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and beyond. Israel continues to face no real consequences, largely due to protection offered by its allies."
The experts accused "Israel" of committing acts such as "murder, torture, sexual violence, and repeated forced displacement amounting to forcible transfer" as crimes against humanity. They also mentioned "indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects... the use of starvation as a weapon of war" and "collective punishment."
The experts noted that civilians are protected under international law, adding, "Acts aimed at their destruction in whole or in part are genocidal."
