UN experts denounce attacks on Gaza hospitals as ‘blatant disregard’ for health rights News
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UN experts denounce attacks on Gaza hospitals as ‘blatant disregard’ for health rights

The UN Special Rapporteurs Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng and Francesca Albanese on Thursday denounced the “blatant disregard” for the right to health in Gaza after the recent raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the arrest and detention of its director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.

According to the rapporteurs, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya has been subject to harassment, abduction and arbitrary detention for defying the evacuation orders of the occupation forces and performing his medical duties amidst Israel’s attacks. The experts expressed concerns for his fate. The statement also emphasized that this incident reflects a broader pattern of Israel’s ongoing efforts to bombard, devastate, and undermine the right to health in Gaza, stating: “For well over a year into the genocide, Israel’s blatant assault on the right to health in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory is plumbing.”

The statement ends by calling on Israel to cease attacking Gaza and targeting healthcare facilities. The rapporteurs also call for the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.

On December 31, 2024, the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner released a report examining violations related to attacks on Gaza hospitals between October 2023 and June 2024, describing Israeli claims that these hospitals serve as fronts for military operations as “vague.” The Indonesian Hospital has come under attack by the occupation army, resulting in destroying essential resources, following the assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital. The rapporteurs urged Israeli authorities, as the occupying power, to uphold and safeguard the right to life and health in Gaza and across the entire occupied Palestinian territory. They emphasized the need to ensure unhindered access to essential healthcare and urgently restore the continuity of vital health services in Gaza. 

According to Article 16 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the wounded and sick, as well as the infirm, and expectant mothers, shall be the object of particular protection and respect. Additionally, Article 19 of the Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that the protection to which civilian hospitals are entitled shall not cease unless they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian duties, acts harmful to the enemy. Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court specifies that intentionally targeting hospitals and facilities for the sick and wounded, provided they are not being used for military purposes, constitutes a war crime.

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