The destruction of hospitals in Gaza must stop, the ICRC demanded on Friday, stressing that the health system had now reached a “point of no return” putting the lives of thousands of people at risk.
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“The destruction of hospitals in Gaza is becoming unbearable and must stop. The lives of thousands of civilians, patients and medical staff are in danger,” William Schomburg, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sub-delegation in Gaza, said in a statement.
The ICRC urgently calls for respect and protection of medical facilities, patients and healthcare workers in Gaza.
“Overwhelmed, short of supplies and increasingly dangerous, the health system in Gaza has reached the point of no return, endangering the lives of thousands of injured, sick and displaced people,” the statement said. organization, stressing that hospitals and ambulances are seriously affected.
The war in the Gaza Strip was sparked after the unprecedentedly violent attack on October 7 by Hamas in Israel, which left more than 1,400 people dead, mostly civilians. Additionally, approximately 240 people were kidnapped on October 7 and are being held in Gaza.
Israel’s strikes left more than 11,000 dead, mostly civilians, including many children, according to the Hamas health ministry.
In recent days, the ICRC says, its teams distributing essential supplies to medical facilities in Gaza have witnessed “horrific images which have become even worse due to the intensification of hostilities”.
Since the start of the war, the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO) have denounced Israeli air and artillery strikes on hospitals and ambulances.
Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals to carry out attacks and hide tunnels, which the movement denies.
The ICRC stresses that children’s hospitals have not been spared from the violence, notably the Nasser hospital, heavily damaged by the hostilities, and the Rantisi hospital, which had to cease its activities.
Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, “already overwhelmed with patients, is now hosting thousands of displaced families who lost their homes over the past month due to the conflict,” the ICRC said. which recalls that any military operation around a hospital must take into account the presence of civilians, who are protected by international humanitarian law.
“The rules of war are clear. Hospitals are installations specially protected by international humanitarian law,” concludes the ICRC.