A United Nations investigation has concluded that Israel implemented a systematic policy aimed at dismantling Gaza’s healthcare system during the Gaza war. These actions are characterized as war crimes and potentially rise to the level of crimes against humanity, including extermination.
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, in a statement before the release of a full report, accused Israel of “persistent and deliberate assaults on medical personnel and facilities” during the war, which followed an attack by Palestinian group Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“Children have been the most affected by these assaults, both directly and indirectly, due to the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure,” Pillay stated. The full report will be presented to the UN General Assembly on October 30.
Israel argues that Gaza’s militants hide among civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, and hospitals, and that they target these fighters wherever they are located. Hamas denies using civilians as shields or hiding weaponry and command centers among non-combatants.
The UN inquiry also accuses Israeli forces of the intentional killing and torture of medical staff, the targeting of ambulances, and blocking permits for patients in Gaza to seek care outside the besieged enclave.
As an example, the inquiry noted the case of Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian girl who, along with her family and two medics attempting to rescue her, was killed by Israeli fire in February.
Widespread Civilian Casualties
According to the World Health Organization, over 10,000 critically ill patients have been unable to leave Gaza for medical care since the Rafah border crossing with Egypt was closed in May. The Palestinian health ministry reports nearly 1,000 medical workers have been killed in the past year, which the WHO called “an irreplaceable loss and a devastating blow to the health system.”
The UN’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) has a broad mandate to gather evidence and identify those responsible for international crimes in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, relying on victim testimonies, submissions, and satellite imagery.
The COI previously alleged that Israel committed war crimes at the beginning of the Gaza war, and that Israel’s actions also amount to crimes against humanity due to the high number of civilian casualties. Crimes against humanity are defined as the most severe international crimes, perpetrated as part of a widespread or systematic attack on civilians.
Israel has not cooperated with the investigation, claiming the inquiry is biased against it. The COI has accused Israel of obstructing its work, preventing investigators from accessing both Israeli and Palestinian territories.
Evidence collected by UN-mandated bodies like this one has, in some cases, been used as a basis for war crimes prosecutions, potentially by the International Criminal Court.
