U.N. specialists on Thursday condemned Israel’s raid on a hospital in northern Gaza, urging an finish to the “blatant assault” on well being rights within the besieged Palestinian territory.
Reiterating their accusations of “genocide” towards Israel – denied by the Israeli authorities – two impartial U.N. rights specialists expressed horror over the raid final Friday on Kamal Adwan Hospital, the final functioning main medical facility in northern Gaza.
“After more than a year of this genocide, Israel’s blatant assault on the right to health in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories has reached unprecedented levels of impunity,” the specialists stated in a joint assertion.
The assertion was issued by Francesca Albanese, the U.N. particular rapporteur on the rights state of affairs in Palestinian territories, and Tlaleng Mofokeng, the particular rapporteur on the proper to well being.
The Israeli navy has repeatedly accused Hamas of utilizing hospitals as command facilities, one thing Hamas denies.
The navy “undertook every effort to protect civilians,” the Israeli mission stated, insisting its “actions highlight Israel’s commitment to international law and the protection of civilian infrastructure, even under the most challenging circumstances.”
‘Gravely involved’
Israel’s navy stated it had detained greater than 240, together with the hospital’s director, Hossam Abu Safiyeh, describing him as a suspected Hamas member.
In their assertion, Albanese and Mofokeng stated they had been “gravely concerned” at Safiyeh’s detention and demanded his “immediate release.”
“Yet another doctor to be harassed, kidnapped and arbitrarily detained by the occupation forces,” they stated.
“This is part of a pattern by Israel to continuously bombard, destroy and fully annihilate the realization of the right to health in Gaza.”
Medics killed
U.N. particular rapporteurs are impartial specialists appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council however don’t converse on behalf of the world physique.
The specialists additionally highlighted “disturbing reports” that Israeli forces had allegedly carried out extrajudicial executions of some folks close to the hospitals, together with a Palestinian man reportedly holding a white flag.
They pointed to figures offered by the well being ministry in Hamas-led Gaza indicating that no less than 1,057 Palestinian well being and medical professionals have been killed because the struggle erupted following the Palestinian group’s Oct. 7, 2023, incursion on southern Israel.
The World Health Organization has repeatedly denounced the excessive variety of assaults on healthcare workers and services within the struggle: 1,273 assaults on healthcare in Gaza and the West Bank have been recorded because the begin of the struggle.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on X that the tempo of desperately wanted medical evacuations out of Gaza was “excruciatingly slow.”
“Only 5,383 patients have been evacuated with support from WHO since October 2023, of which only 436 since the Rafah crossing was closed” final May, he stated.
He stated greater than 12,000 folks had been awaiting medical evacuation from Gaza.
“At this rate, it would take 5-10 years to evacuate all these critically ill patients, including thousands of children,” he added.
“In the meantime, their conditions get worse and some die.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com