Israeli ambassador says he has “irrefutable” evidence that Hamas had militarized the Kamal Adwan hospital
Israel argued at the UN (United Nations) that the attack in the Gaza Strip was necessary to neutralize members of Hamas. The organization’s Security Council met on Friday (January 3, 2025) to discuss Israeli attacks on health facilities in the Palestinian enclave.
At the meeting, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he had received a letter from the Israeli ambassador to the organization in Geneva, Daniel Meron. In it, Meron stated that Israel had evidence “irrefutable” that Hamas had militarized the hospital. According to the ambassador, Israeli forces took “extraordinary measures” to protect civilian lives throughout the operation.
“However, Israel has not provided sufficient information to substantiate many of these claims“, Turkish. “If these allegations are verified, serious concerns will be raised that Palestinian armed groups are intentionally using the presence of civilians to protect themselves from attacks, which would also amount to a war crime.”, these.
The Kamal Adwan hospital, in the north of the Gaza Strip, suffered several attacks from Israel in December. At the end of last month, the site was deactivated. , was the last major health center operating in the region, which is currently home to 75,000 Palestinians.
Reports indicated that some areas of the hospital were burned and severely damaged. These include the laboratory, the surgical unit, the engineering and maintenance department and the surgical center.
“A human rights catastrophe continues to unfold in Gaza before the eyes of the world”, said Volker Türk at the meeting on Friday (3.Jan). The High Commissioner stated that military operations must always distinguish between military and civilian targets. “The use of heavy weapons against hospitals is difficult to reconcile with this principle”, he declared.
He said he called for independent, thorough and transparent investigations into all Israeli attacks on hospitals, healthcare infrastructure and medical personnel, as well as the alleged misuse of such facilities.
Rik Peeperkorn, WHO (World Health Organization) representative for the West Bank and Gaza, said that only 16 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip remain partially functional, with the majority not having the capacity to treat chronic illnesses and complex injuries. “To date, the WHO has verified 654 attacks on health facilities in Gaza.”he declared.
