UN finds war crimes against humanity in Israel’s attacks on Gaza hospitals

A United Nations commission of inquiry has accused Israel of implementing a “concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system” amid its ongoing war with Hamas.
The commission’s report alleges that Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities and the treatment of Palestinian detainees constitute war crimes and the crime against humanity of “extermination.”
The report, led by Navi Pillay, a former UN human rights chief from South Africa, will be presented to the UN General Assembly on October 30.
It claims that Israeli security forces have “deliberately killed, detained and tortured medical personnel,” and emphasises that children have been particularly affected by the collapse of the health system in Gaza.
A case cited in the report is that of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed after an ambulance attempting to reach her was shelled. Hind had managed to call the Palestinian Red Crescent for help after her family was struck by a bomb.
The commission states that the attacks on healthcare facilities have created “conditions of life resulting in the destruction of generations of Palestinian children and, potentially, the Palestinian people as a group.”
The report also highlights accusations against Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, for committing war crimes against Israeli hostages.
It details instances of “physical violence, abuse, sexual violence, forced isolation, and limited access to basic necessities” faced by hostages. The commission calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages.
Additionally, the report raises concerns about the treatment of thousands of Palestinian detainees, many of whom are children. It alleges systematic abuse, including torture and sexual violence, under the orders of Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
This report adds to growing international scrutiny regarding the conduct of the war, which escalated following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
That attack resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and 251 individuals taken hostage. Since then, over 42,060 people have been reported killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The commission’s report will be presented to the General Assembly’s 79th session on 30 October 2024 in New York.