New York - Saba:
The UN Security Council held on Friday evening, a meeting to discuss "Zionist attacks on health facilities in Gaza Strip".
The Council heard testimonies from the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in the West Bank , Gaza, and Dr. Tania Haj Hassan, a doctor at the Medical Aid Society for Palestinians.
The meeting was convened by Algeria, which holds the UN Security Council presidency in January.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said: "A human rights catastrophe continues to unfold in Gaza before the eyes of the world." Adding: "Israel's methods of warfare have led to tens of thousands of deaths, widespread displacement and destruction, raising major concerns about compliance with international law."
Türk referred via video conference to a recent report issued by his office covering the period from October 7, 2023 to June 30, 2024, which "documented a pattern of attacks on hospitals starting with Zionist air strikes followed by incursions by ground forces and the detention of some patients and staff, leaving hospitals unable to function."
The UN official referred to the destruction inflicted by enemy forces last Friday on Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last operating hospital in northern Gaza.
He said that this reflects the pattern of attacks documented in his office's report. He pointed out that some staff and patients were forced out of the hospital, while others, including the hospital's general manager, were detained amid numerous reports of torture and ill-treatment.
"Failure to respect these principles is a violation of international humanitarian law. "Deliberately attacking hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are treated, given that they are not military targets, is a war crime. "Under certain circumstances, the deliberate destruction of health care facilities may amount to a form of collective punishment that is also a war crime.
The World Health Organization (WHO) representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Rick Peppercorn, said: About seven percent of Gaza's population has been killed or injured since October 2023.
He added that more than 25 percent of the estimated 105,000 injured suffer from life-changing wounds that will require extensive rehabilitation efforts , lifelong medical and technological assistance.
He emphasized that hospitals repeatedly become battlefields, rendering them unable to provide their services and depriving those in need of life-saving care. He added: "The health sector in Gaza is being systematically dismantled and pushed to the breaking point with severe shortages of medical supplies, equipment and specialists.
Despite the challenges, Peeperkorn said: The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are doing everything possible to enable hospitals and health services to continue operating, but he cited obstacles , restrictions to getting supplies into and around Gaza.
He added that only 40 percent of WHO's 2024 tasks in Gaza have been facilitated, which has directly affected the organization's ability to provide supplies to hospitals, transport critically ill patients and deploy emergency medical teams.
Dr. Haj Hassan, who has taught at medical schools and hospitals in Gaza Strip, noted that health workers in Gaza have been sending distress letters to the Security Council for more than a year. Dr. Haj Hassan said she recognized many of the workers.
"Despite the blockade, they have amazingly managed to build a comprehensive health system, provide high-quality medical care to patients, and promote excellent medical education for new generations of doctors," she said.
She added: "They are hardworking professionals who take pride in their work and take their oath to care for their patients very seriously."
Algeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ammar Ben Jama, said: "The Zionist occupation aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land through a clear and deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing."
"The numbers speak for themselves," he added. He described the systematic destruction of the health system, where 53 percent of hospitals in Gaza are out of service, and a number of doctors were martyred during their detention in occupation prisons.
Bin Jama emphasized that "Security Council resolutions seem increasingly futile," as "the occupying forces in the OPT act as if international law does not exist or simply does not apply to them."
Palestine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Riyad Mansour, condemned the Zionist enemy's attacks in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that they are "blatant war crimes" and "genocide".
Mansour shared a powerful account of the bravery of Palestinian medical staff under fire. He said: "Palestinian doctors and medical workers are fighting to save human lives and are losing theirs."
He expressed the Palestinian people's sense of abandonment, highlighting their courage and steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds: "We have a duty to save lives. This council has a duty to save lives."
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