Israel pursuing ‘wanton’ destruction of Gaza health system, UN commission says
An inquiry by the world body found Israeli forces deliberately killed and tortured medical personnel.
A United Nations commission has accused Israel of conducting “a concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s health system” and of committing “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in the Palestinian enclave.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Israel and the Palestinian Territories released a report Thursday on the treatment of detainees in Israel and hostages in Gaza since the outbreak of Israel’s war against the militant Hamas group last October.
The U.N. inquiry accused Israeli forces of deliberately killing and torturing medical personnel, of targeting medical vehicles and of limiting permits for patients to leave the besieged Gaza Strip.
Commission chair Navi Pillay, who formerly served as High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: “Israel must immediately stop its unprecedented wanton destruction of healthcare facilities in Gaza.
“By targeting healthcare facilities, Israel is targeting the right to health itself with significant long-term detrimental effects on the civilian population.”
Attacks on hospitals are considered a war crime by the International Criminal Court, but hospitals can also lose their protected status under international law if they are used for military purposes. Israel has justified its attacks on Gaza health facilities by claiming Hamas uses them to pursue its military aims. Hamas, however, denies hiding fighters, weapons and command posts among civilians.
The U.N. inquiry also investigated the treatment of both Palestinian detainees in Israel and hostages seized by Hamas fighters in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The statement accused both sides of involvement in torture and sexual violence.
Israel has been feuding with the U.N. for months, and on Wednesday declared the organization’s secretary-general, António Guterres, an “undesirable” and banned him from entering the country.
Guterres said last October that the Hamas attack “did not happen in a vacuum,” and has repeatedly condemned the Israeli military’s killing of civilians in Gaza. Israel previously called for Guterres’ ouster in January.
What's Your Reaction?
