Jerusalem: The Israeli military has failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify its attacks on hospitals in the Gaza Strip, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report published on Tuesday.
“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 read.
Israel carried out 136 strikes on at least 27 of the 38 hospitals and 12 clinics in Gaza from 7 October 2023 to 30 June 2024, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians’ access to health and medical care, the UN rights agency said.
“The cumulative effects of the described attacks on the hospitals placed the health care system in Gaza on the brink of total collapse, seriously impacting Palestinians’ access to health and medical care at a time of tremendous need,” the report said.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk accused Israel of turning the only sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe into a death trap. He said the killings of patients, staff and other civilians seeking refuge at medical facilities were a blatant violation of international laws.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. In addition, fighters of Palestinian movement Hamas infiltrated the border areas, opened fire on the military and civilians and took hostages. Israeli authorities say that about 1,200 people were killed during the raid. In response, the Israel Defence Forces launched Operation Iron Swords in Gaza and announced a complete blockade of the enclave. The death toll from the Israeli attacks has surpassed 45,500 in the Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities.
UNI SPUTNIK
