A UN inquiry has accused Israel of executing a concerted effort to dismantle Gaza’s healthcare system, characterizing these actions as war crimes and a violation of human rights that could amount to “extermination.”
Navi Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and chair of the inquiry, stated that Israel has conducted “relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities” over the past year. Pillay is set to present a comprehensive report to the UN General Assembly on October 30.
“Children, in particular, have suffered the most from these attacks, facing both direct and indirect consequences from the collapse of the health system,” Pillay noted in a statement preceding the report’s release.
In its findings, the UN inquiry claimed that Israeli forces targeted medical vehicles, deliberately killed and tortured healthcare workers, and imposed restrictions preventing patients from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical care. One tragic example cited was the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who died in February along with six family members while fleeing the conflict. Two medics attempting to rescue them were also killed in the incident.
Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), stated that the deaths were not accidental. “We do not dispatch our ambulances to areas designated as military zones… when calls come from these areas, we try to coordinate our safe access,” she explained.
In a response to the accusations, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed a “preliminary inspection” of the incident indicated that IDF forces were not present near the vehicle where the girl was found. The IDF maintains that Hamas militants operate out of civilian areas, including near schools and hospitals, and asserts it aims to minimize harm to civilians while targeting these threats.
The UN inquiry comes on the heels of an Israeli airstrike that killed 27 people—including women and children—at a school sheltering displaced individuals in central Gaza, according to Palestinian medics. The IDF described the strike as “precise,” targeting a militant position within the school, but provided no evidence to support this claim.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 42,000 people have died since Israel began its military offensive in response to Hamas’s attack on October 7 last year.
Meanwhile, Israel has also intensified military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah. The Lebanese health ministry reported that 18 people were killed and 92 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut.
The UN reported that two of its peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank fired at a UN observation tower, with UNIFIL condemning “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers” as a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
The French foreign ministry expressed “deep concern” over the situation, while Italy’s defense minister, Guido Crosetto, stated that the attack could constitute a war crime and a severe breach of international military law.
The IDF reiterated its stance, claiming that “the Hezbollah terrorist organization operates from within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including near UNIFIL posts.”
Credit: Sky News
