Gaza’s health system is being brought “to the brink of total collapse” by Israel’s attacks on and around hospitals in the region, according to a new report from the UN Human Rights Office.
At least 10 hospitals have been attacked by Israeli forces since the start of the war, with some targeted multiple times, the UN report says.
The UN documented 136 strikes on at least 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities from 12 October 2023 to 30 June 2024, according to its report, which was released on Tuesday.
“This report graphically details the destruction of the health care system in Gaza, and the extent of killing of patients, staff, and other civilians in these attacks in blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law,” said Volker Turk, UN high commissioner for human rights, in a statement.
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Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and health facilities for military purposes.
After attacking one of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan Hospital, Israel’s military said it “serves as a Hamas terrorist stronghold”. The Israeli army said it apprehended 240 suspected militants after raiding the hospital.
The UN’s report noted Israel’s allegations about hospitals being used by Hamas.
Hospitals lose their protection under international law if they are used for military purposes.
However, the UN report said “insufficient information has so far been made available to substantiate these allegations, which have remained vague and broad, and in some cases appear contradicted by publicly available information”.
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Israel has long dismissed allegations like this from the UN, which it says is biased against it.
The nearly 15-month war has forced most of Gaza’s hospitals to close. The rest are only partially functioning.
Israel attacked Gaza after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel from the territory, which killed around 1,200 people and led to hundreds more being taken hostage.
More than 45,500 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military response in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.
