Gaza hospitals have become 'death trap': UN rights chief

AFP , Tuesday 31 Dec 2024

UN rights chief Volker Turk said Tuesday that hospitals in the Gaza Strip, targeted by Israel, had become a "death trap", insisting that such facilities must instead be protected during conflict.

Wounded Palestinians receive medical attention at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, after patients
Wounded Palestinians receive medical attention at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, after patients were transported from the Kamal Adwan Hospital. AFP

 

"As if the relentless bombing and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the one sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe became a death trap. The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all sides, at all times," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

A United Nations report published Tuesday found that Israeli strikes on and near hospitals in the Gaza Strip had left healthcare in the Palestinian territory on the verge of collapse.

"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 accompanying the report.

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