Pakistan on Friday strongly condemned Israel’s “deliberate” attacks on Gaza’s medical infrastructure, including hospitals, medical staff and patients, amid the ongoing conflict.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, called for an independent and transparent investigation into these attacks, urging the international community to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
Addressing an emergency session of the UN Security Council (UNSC), Ambassador Iftikhar emphasized that attacks on health facilities violate international humanitarian law and must draw accountability, not just condemnation.
He called on the Council to take decisive action to end the bloodshed in Gaza and demand an immediate ceasefire, highlighting the urgent need to address the ongoing destruction of medical facilities and the humanitarian crisis.
Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, also participated in the session, convened by Algeria, which has held the presidency of the UN Security Council since January. , and Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan, from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAPA).
They shared heartbreaking accounts of the dire situation in Gaza hospitals and the challenges health workers face.
Ambassador Iftikhar noted that between October 2023 and June 2024, Israel carried out at least 136 airstrikes against 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, resulting in the deaths of more than 500 health workers.
In June, 22 of Gaza’s 38 hospitals were not functioning and the health system was on the brink of collapse.
“The brutal destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last major operational facility in northern Gaza, is an atrocity that shocks the conscience of humanity,” Iftikhar said, condemning Israel’s actions as part of a broader campaign aimed at dispossessing and annihilate the Palestinian people.
It added that more than 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023, while around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.1 million has been displaced. Almost 160,000 homes have been destroyed, leaving the population homeless.
“This is not a war; “It is a campaign of dispossession, ethnic cleansing and annihilation,” Iftikhar declared, highlighting the destruction of homes, schools and cultural heritage in Gaza.
The Pakistani envoy regretted the lack of action by the Security Council, despite its resolutions and the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have been ignored. “The Council remains inexplicably paralyzed, undermining its own authority and credibility,” he said.
Pakistan called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the lifting of the Gaza blockade and the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors to ensure the delivery of vital aid. He also called for the reconstruction of Gaza’s health system and the resumption of the peace process, focusing on a two-state solution based on relevant UN resolutions.
Ambassador Iftikhar urged the Council to act in solidarity with the Palestinian people, stating: “The Palestinian people look to this Council for hope, justice and the promise of peace. We must not fail them.”
Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the West Bank and Gaza, briefed the Council on the escalating health crisis and revealed that more than 25% of the more than 105,000 injured civilians in Gaza are facing life-changing conditions. He pointed to critical delays in medical evacuations, as more than 12,000 people are still waiting to receive treatment abroad.
“Critical medical evacuations remain extremely slow. At the current rate, it would take five to ten years to evacuate all critical patients,” Peeperkorn warned. It also reported 654 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries among healthcare workers and patients.
Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, also condemned the ongoing destruction of Gaza hospitals, noting that Israeli military operations have left many medical facilities out of operation, depriving Palestinians of their right to care. sanitary. He called the attacks a “human rights catastrophe” and emphasized the importance of protecting hospitals during the conflict.
Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan from Medical Aid for the Palestinians (MAP) shared the voices of health workers in Gaza, who have been under constant threat since October 2023. More than 1,000 health workers have died in the conflict . “They are proud, hard-working professionals who take their oath to care for their patients very seriously,” said Dr. Haj Hassan, highlighting the resilience of Gaza’s medical staff despite overwhelming challenges.
The session concluded with renewed calls for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ensure that those responsible for attacking medical facilities and other civilian infrastructure are held accountable for war crimes.
