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Rabat – A United Nations commission has accused Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) of deliberately targeting Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare workers in a report that paints a grim picture of a health system in collapse after over a year of aggression.
The report, released on October 10, claims these strikes are part of a broader policy of “collective punishment” against the Palestinian people.
Led by South African jurist Navi Pillay, the UN’s independent inquiry asserts that the IOF have systematically attacked medical infrastructure in the coastal enclave since October 2023.
“These attacks on medical facilities and personnel are not isolated incidents,” the report states. “They are part of a calculated effort to undermine Gaza’s physical and social fabric.”
The report, compiled by experts from India and Australia, describes how the IOF systematically targeted hospitals, ambulances, and healthcare workers, actions the commission described as “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity.”
The destruction of key facilities, including the maternity and intensive care units of Al-Shifa hospital and Turkish hospital, has crippled Gaza’s already fragile healthcare system.
Israel has consistently defended its actions, claiming militants were using hospitals as shields. However, the UN report says it found “no credible evidence” to support these claims, challenging Israel’s justification for its strikes.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain functional, with medical teams working under dire conditions.
While the report heavily criticizes the IOF’s ongoing destruction of Gaza, it also condemns Palestinian armed groups for violations of international law, especially during fierce battles near Al-Shifa hospital in March 2024.
Israel dismissed the report as “one-sided” and accused the commission of fueling further division. The inquiry, launched by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, marks this as its second major report since the Israeli genocide began in October 2023.
