A report released by the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday condemned Israel’s attacks on hospitals in Gaza, saying the campaign against medical infrastructure in the Strip is a “direct consequence” of Israel’s “disregard” for international law.
“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,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Israel usually claims there’s a presence of militants to justify its attacks on hospitals but never provides real evidence, which the report notes. “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 reads.
The report found there were at least 136 Israeli strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities in Gaza between October 12, 2023 and June 30, 2024. The Israeli attacks caused significant casualties among civilians, including patients, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff.
The report found that by the end of June 2024, Israel had killed over 500 medical professionals in Gaza. In November, Gaza’s Government Media Office said the number of medical workers killed was over 1,000.
On top of killing medical workers, the Israeli military has also arrested many and thrown them into prisons where they face torture. Since October 7, 2023, at least three Palestinian doctors have died in Israeli detention facilities.
The report from the UN Human Rights Office came after the Israeli military cleared out and destroyed the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, killing and humiliating medical workers in the process. The IDF detained the hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, who has been taken to the notorious Sde Teiman torture prison.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz acknowledged in an editorial that the destruction of Kamal Adwan was part of Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in northern Gaza, which has been focused on the cities of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia.
