The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday said Israel’s airstrikes on and near hospitals in Gaza have left the territory’s healthcare system on the verge of total collapse.
In a report issued by its human rights office, the UN raised serious concerns about Israel’s continued attacks on the Gaza Strip and its devastating effects on Palestinians especially, their access to medical care.
“Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza, and associated combat, pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians’ access to health and medical care,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.
The 23-page document, titled “Attacks on Hospitals During the Escalation of Hostilities in Gaza”, examines events between October 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
According to the report, there have been at least 136 attacks on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, which have resulted in significant casualties among medical staff and civilians as well as damaging healthcare infrastructure.
Israel has repeatedly claimed that the hospitals destroyed by its strikes are being used by the Iran-backed Hamas group for military purposes, but the UN report denied these claims as being “vague”.
“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 stated.
UN human rights chief, Volker Turk condemned the attacks, describing Palestinian healthcare facilities as” a death trap”.
“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,” Turk said.
“The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all sides, at all times,” he added.
The war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths, while 250 persons were kidnapped.
Israel’s military in response has killed over 45,500 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry figures that the UN considers as reliable.