A report published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has concluded that the pattern of deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza hospitals and their surroundings, along with related combat operations, has pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse. This has had catastrophic effects on Palestinians' access to medical and healthcare services. The report stated that the documented attacks between October 12, 2023, and June 30, 2024, raise serious concerns about Israel's compliance with international law. Medical personnel and hospitals are granted special protection under international humanitarian law.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said: "As if the relentless bombardment and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the very sanctuary where Palestinians should feel safe has turned into a death trap. Protecting hospitals during war is of utmost importance, and all parties must uphold this principle at all times."
The report noted that during the reporting period, at least 136 airstrikes targeted no fewer than 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, causing significant losses among doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other civilians. The attacks also inflicted severe damage on civilian infrastructure, destroying some facilities entirely. It added that, under certain circumstances, the deliberate destruction of healthcare facilities could amount to a form of collective punishment, potentially constituting a war crime. The report highlighted that many of these actions, if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against the civilian population pursuant to a state or organizational policy, could also rise to the level of crimes against humanity. The report called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained medical personnel.
In the same context, two independent UN experts called for an end to the "blatant disregard" for the right to health in Gaza following the storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital last week and the "arbitrary arrest and detention" of the hospital's director, Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya.
In a joint press release, Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and Tlaleng Mofokeng, the Special Rapporteur on the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, stated: "The blatant assault by Israel on the right to health in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories, more than a year after the genocide, is leading to new levels of impunity."
The experts expressed deep concern over reports from northern Gaza, particularly the attack on healthcare workers. They added: "We are gravely concerned about the fate of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, yet another doctor abducted and arbitrarily detained by occupation forces—this time for defying evacuation orders and refusing to abandon his patients and colleagues."