The recent UN inquiry, which accused Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza’s healthcare system, has sparked significant outrage from Israel. The report, released by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI), detailed that Israeli forces have been involved in a calculated effort to dismantle Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, including deliberate attacks on medical staff and facilities. According to the inquiry, these actions amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically accusing Israel of using healthcare as a target in its broader military strategy against Gaza.
Israel firmly rejected the findings of the report, calling it biased and politically motivated. The Israeli statement, released from its mission in Geneva, claimed that the inquiry was part of an ongoing attempt to delegitimize the state of Israel and undermine its right to defend itself. It also emphasized that Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, has historically used medical facilities for military purposes, a defense that Israel has consistently employed to justify its actions against hospitals and clinics in Gaza.
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The commission’s findings did not stop at the health system, however. The report also touched on the broader treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, accusing Israeli authorities of widespread abuse, including torture and sexual violence. The abuse was reportedly systematic, and many Palestinians were held in arbitrary, prolonged detention without adequate legal processes. In its response, Israel dismissed these claims as fabrications, accusing the UN commission of creating an “alternate reality” that only served to exacerbate the ongoing conflict.
Israel’s tank in Gaza
This report follows a string of similar accusations against Israel’s handling of its military operations in Gaza, particularly its treatment of civilians and vital infrastructure. The report is the second of its kind since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, which reignited the current cycle of violence. The UN Human Rights Council established the commission back in May 2021, following numerous reports of international law violations in both Israel and the Palestinian territories.
International criticism of Israel’s actions has also grown, with several UN officials warning of the breakdown of the international legal order in the face of ongoing atrocities in Gaza. In a separate statement, a group of UN special rapporteurs expressed grave concerns, likening the current crisis to the most significant global challenge since the end of World War II. They noted that the violence was escalating into genocidal attacks, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment of Palestinians.
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Despite these international concerns, Israel continues to act with defiance, rejecting any accusations of violating international law. The legal mechanisms designed to address such issues, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), have so far failed to produce any concrete outcomes. The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials remains unresolved. Likewise, the ICJ’s provisional measures to prevent further genocidal acts in Gaza have not been enforced.
The UN’s failure to curb Israel’s actions, the rapporteurs warned, has enabled the violence to spread beyond Gaza, affecting neighboring regions such as Lebanon. The international community, according to these experts, needs to act decisively to prioritize human rights and international law, avoiding double standards that allow the conflict to worsen.
Israel’s response to the inquiry is rooted in its longstanding position that its actions are justified under self-defense, particularly against Hamas, which it claims uses civilian spaces, including hospitals, for military purposes. The Israeli government has frequently criticized UN bodies for what it perceives as a biased approach, accusing them of focusing disproportionately on Israel’s actions while downplaying or ignoring the crimes committed by Palestinian groups. Israel also asserts that the broader international response to the conflict often fails to account for the complexity of its security concerns.
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Nevertheless, the international outcry continues to grow. Critics argue that Israel’s actions, particularly the targeting of healthcare facilities, represent a gross violation of human rights and international law. They assert that by attacking medical infrastructure and personnel, Israel is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the health system is already on the brink of collapse due to years of blockade and repeated military offensives.
The broader implications of this conflict stretch beyond Gaza and Israel, affecting the stability of the entire region. As the violence spreads to Lebanon, the potential for a larger, more destructive war grows. The failure of international legal tools to prevent or mitigate the conflict has led to widespread frustration among human rights organizations and international legal experts, who are calling for more robust actions to hold all parties accountable and to bring an end to the violence.
As the situation unfolds, the debate over Israel’s military strategy and its impact on Gaza’s civilian population will likely continue to be a contentious issue. Both sides have their entrenched narratives, but the growing toll of civilian casualties and the destruction of essential services like healthcare underscore the urgent need for a resolution that prioritizes the protection of human rights and the restoration of peace.
