A recent United Nations report alleges that Israeli strikes on and near hospitals in the Gaza Strip have pushed healthcare in the Palestinian territory to the brink of collapse.
The 23-page report, titled “Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza,” covers the period from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
According to the report, there were at least 136 strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, resulting in significant casualties among doctors, nurses, medics, and civilians.
The attacks caused extensive damage, often destroying vital civilian infrastructure.
Israel maintains that hospitals have been extensively used by terror groups operating in and around these facilities, sometimes launching attacks from within them.
Israel has repeatedly published documentation of what it says are terrorists in hospitals and even shown hostages being hidden in medical facilities.
Israel argues that hospitals lose their protected status under international law when they are used by armed operatives as military sites or for planning and launching attacks. It also claims to take extensive measures to protect civilians in hospitals and ensure their safe evacuation.
Despite Israel’s claims, the UN report found these assertions regarding Gaza hospitals being used for military purposes by Palestinian groups to be “vague.”
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