Hospital Attacks Could Constitute War Crimes

After a series of Israeli attacks on hospitals in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations Security Council met on Friday morning in New York at Algeria's request to debate the collapse of health services in Gaza.

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Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have had a devastating impact on the hospitals in the Palestinian enclave, and 53 percent of the hospitals in Gaza are no longer operational and several physicians have died in Israeli custody, those attending the meeting were told.

As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said at Friday's meeting, while recognizing Israel's right to self-defense and the shock that Israeli society has been through following the deaths of 1,200 citizens and the captivity of 100 hostages for 14 months, "The destruction of the health-care system, in combination with the killing of patients, humanitarian workers, medical staff and other civilians, constitute severe violations of international humanitarian and human rights law".