UN-backed experts say Israel is destroying Gaza’s health sector and both sides have tortured people
A UN commission on Thursday accused Israel of destroying Gaza’s health care system through “ruthless and deliberate attacks” his years of war with Hamas and said Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages have been tortured and sexually abused.
The expert panel was tasked by the UN-backed Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate human rights violations and abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories it controls. Led by Navi Pillay, former UN human rights chief, the panelists are independent experts and do not speak on behalf of the world body.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has long accused the UN of being biased and failing to cooperate with the commission.
Israeli forces have repeatedly raided hospitals in Gazawith militants accused of taking shelter there. Palestinian medical officials have denied such allegations and accused Israel of recklessly endangering civilians. Hospitals may lose their protection under international law if they are used for military purposes.
The report accused Israel of deliberately killing, detaining and torturing Palestinian medical personnel, targeting their vehicles and restricting permits for medical evacuations from Gaza. According to the report, these are war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Israel must immediately stop its unprecedented wanton destruction of healthcare facilities in Gaza,” Pillay said in a statement. “By targeting healthcare facilities, Israel is targeting the right to health itself, with significant long-term harmful consequences for the civilian population.”
The commission said children have borne much of the cost of such actions, highlighting attacks on medical facilities offering pediatric and neonatal care.
The panel also said it found that thousands of adults and children detained in Gaza had suffered “widespread and systematic abuse, physical and psychological violence, and sexual and gender-based violence.”
It says Israeli security forces raped male prisoners, assaulted their genitals and forced them to perform humiliating or strenuous acts while they were naked. It said children who had been detained returned to Gaza unaccompanied and deeply traumatized.
The commission further said the abuse was institutionalized by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. He has prided himself on making conditions in the country’s prisons as strict as possible under Israeli law, in what he says is an effort to deter militant attacks.
Israel arrested nine soldiers in July because of what their lawyer said allegations of sexual abuse of an inmate They are being held in a shadowy prison that has housed prisoners from Gaza since the start of the war. The lawyer denied the charges and their arrest sparked protests from Israeli hardliners.
The commission also said hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza were subjected to physical and sexual violence, forced isolation and threats, and given limited access to water, food and hygiene facilities. It said Palestinian armed groups were also guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and called on them to immediately release all hostages.
Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. about 250 others kidnapped. They are still holding about a hundred prisoners, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, according to local health authorities. They did not say how many fighters there were, but said women and children made up more than half of the fatalities. The war has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced about 90% of the population of 2.3 million people.
The International Court of Justice is investigating accusations that Israel committed genocide in Gazaand the International Criminal Court considering arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders. Israel has firmly denied the allegations and says it adheres to international law.
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Find more AP coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.