Israel has destroyed Gaza hospitals, violated international law: UN

A UN Human Rights Office report has condemned Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza, saying they had devastated the health system in the Palestinian enclave and raised serious concerns about Israel's compliance with international law.

In the report documenting various attacks between October 12, 2023 and June 30, 2024, the UN rights office said they had severe consequences on Palestinians' access to medical attention.

The 23-page report concluded that Israel's conduct of hostilities in Gaza had "destroyed" local healthcare.

"The destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza, and the extent of the killing of patients, staff, and other civilians in these attacks, is a direct consequence of the disregard of international humanitarian and human rights law," it said.

The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the report.

Israel has in the past few days conducted operations against hospitals in Gaza that drew criticism from the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) among others.

Suggestions rejected

The report said deliberately directing attacks against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are, provided they are not military objectives, would be war crimes.

It also warned that a systemic pattern of rights abuses against civilians could constitute crimes against humanity.

Israel has consistently rejected such suggestions.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said the report's findings pointed to a "blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law."

"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," Turk said in a statement.