Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, affirms that targeting the Al-Ahli Al-Arabi Hospital (Baptist Hospital), in Al- Zaytoun area- Gaza City, is a genocide crime. The hospital, which belongs to the Anglican Diocese Church, was shelled on Tuesday, 17/10/2023 causing the death of more than 500 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, in addition to several hundreds of injured persons. The number of casualties might increase. The Israeli air force shelled the hospital at the time there were thousands of persons there as they escaped seeking shelter in the place due to the heavy shelling of all the places in the Gaza Strip. People whose houses were demolished sought a safe shelter to protect themselves, so they were in the hospital and its yards, assuming that it would not be attacked[1]. Targeting injured and sick persons and targeting the medical facilities, is a war crime according to Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Attacking the hospital is a profound violation of international humanitarian law, mainly Articles 18 and 19 of the Geneva First Convention, which protect medical facilities and teams under war.
The aggressive attacks of the Israeli army against the Gaza Strip interpret the level of savage and barbarism of the occupation, which targets Palestinians systematically for the sake of killing and genocide. The acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation from October 7 until the present day against civilians and civil infrastructure, without distinguishing between private or public properties, schools, or medical facilities, reflect the extent of wrongdoing and hostility among Israeli politicians. They disregard the international human rights agreements designed to safeguard the well-being of individuals and their fundamental rights and freedoms during times of war and armed conflicts.
The direct targeting of hospitals, medical centers, and ambulances by the Israeli army, is a war crime as affirmed by international law and it is a profound violation of International Human Rights Law. In particular, it violates Article 18 of the Geneva Fourth Convention which states: “Civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict.”[2] Likewise, it violates Article 19 of the Geneva First Convention, which states: “Fixed establishments and mobile medical units of the Medical Service may in no circumstances be attacked, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict. Should they fall into the hands of the adverse Party, their personnel shall be free to pursue their duties, as long as the capturing Power has not itself ensured the necessary care of the wounded and sick found in such establishments and units”.
On a related level, the UN General Assembly affirmed in its resolution number 2675/ 1970, that the hospitals should not be targeted during armed conflicts and hostile acts where “the venue of the hospitals or any similar shelters,” should not be targeted by the military operations. For that, the arbitrary or intentional attacks should not target the hospitals, medical units, and medical teams involved in humanitarian works”.
Within the frame of the Israeli crimes, the Palestinian Minister of Health, Dr. Mai Keila, declared on October 9, the third day of the aggression, that the Israeli occupation was intentionally targeting the hospitals, ambulances, and medical teams. The Minister urged the International Community to interfere immediately to stop the Israeli attacks and affirmed that targeting the hospitals was clear as the Israeli air forces shelled the Indonesian Hospital to the north of Gaza Strip where a member of the medical team fallen a martyr in addition to injuring many others. According to the Minister, there were several attacks against Beit Hanoun Hospital causing it to stop functioning, and similarly, Nasser Medical Compound in Khanyouni was attacked several times which affected its performance. Moreover, quoting the Minister, 5 governmental ambulances were damaged in addition to targeting 45 missions of the ambulance teams who rushed to provide aid for the victims of the Israeli air strikes[3].
A statement released by the World Health Organization affirmed that the health sector in the Gaza Strip is facing a disaster of the worst disasters on the level of the world. The Organization added that the emergency case in the Gaza Strip reached the level of Human catastrophe. Dr. Ahman Al- Manthari, the regional director of the World Health Organization, reported that the organization documented 111 acts of targeting the medical establishments in the Gaza Strip and that 12 members of the military teams were killed[4].
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society
issued a statement in which it announced that the attacks against its localities
and teams reached 17 attacks since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza
Strip. The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip declared that the Israeli
occupation killed 10 of its first aid medical teams while injuring another 27,
in addition to destroying 23 ambulances operated by the ministry, since the
beginning of the aggression[5].
[1] https://wafa.ps/Pages/Details/81967
[2] The General Assembly’s Resolution number 2675/ 1970, regarding protecting civilians under armed conflicts.
[3] https://www.skynewsarabia.com/middle-east/1660424-
[4] World Health Organization
[5] https://www.alaraby.com/news