Israel deliberately targeted Gaza hospitals! UN investigation commission called it a 'war crime'

A UN Commission of Inquiry has accused Israel of implementing a concerted policy to destroy Gaza's hospitals amid its ongoing war with Hamas. The commission's report alleges that Israeli attacks on health facilities and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A report led by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay of South Africa was presented to the UN General Assembly. It claimed that Israeli security forces deliberately killed, detained, and tortured medical personnel.

Children affected by lack of medical care.

The report also said that children have been particularly affected by the collapse of the health system in Gaza. One case recorded in the report is that of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed after an ambulance trying to reach her was bombed. Hind managed to call the Palestinian Red Crescent for help after her family was bombed. The commission says that attacks on health facilities have led to the destruction of Palestinian children.

Appeal for unconditional release of hostages

The report also accuses Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, of committing war crimes against Israeli hostages. It mentions instances of physical violence, abuse, sexual violence, forced isolation, and limited access to necessities faced by the hostages. At the same time, the Commission calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages.

In addition, the report raises concerns about the treatment of thousands of Palestinian detainees, many of them children, alleging systematic abuses, including torture and sexual violence, under the orders of Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Hamas attack on 7 October

The report adds to growing international scrutiny over the conduct of the war, which escalated after Hamas' unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack resulted in nearly 1,200 Israeli deaths and 251 individuals taken hostage. More than 42,060 people have been reported killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.