Pakistan condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza’s medical infrastructure

Pakistan urges the UNSC to address Israel’s destruction of Gaza's health facilities.

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Pakistan on Friday strongly condemned Israel’s “deliberate” attacks on Gaza’s medical infrastructure, including hospitals, medical personnel, 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 stressed that the targeting of healthcare facilities violates international humanitarian law and must be met with 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.

The session, convened by Algeria, which holds the presidency of the UNSC for January, also heard from representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, and Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

They shared harrowing accounts of the dire situation in Gaza’s hospitals and the challenges faced by healthcare workers.

Ambassador Iftikhar pointed out that between October 2023 and June 2024, Israel conducted at least 136 airstrikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, resulting in the deaths of over 500 healthcare workers.

By June, 22 out of Gaza’s 38 hospitals were non-functional, with the healthcare system on the brink of collapse.

“The brutal destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital—the last operational major facility in Northern Gaza—is an atrocity that shocks the conscience of humanity,” Iftikhar stated, condemning Israel’s actions as a part of a larger campaign aimed at the dispossession and annihilation of the Palestinian people.

He added that over 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. Nearly 160,000 housing units have been destroyed, leaving the population homeless.

“This is not a war; it is a campaign of dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and annihilation,” Iftikhar declared, noting the destruction of Gaza’s homes, schools, and cultural heritage.

The Pakistani envoy lamented the Security Council’s failure to act, 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 blockade on Gaza, and the establishment of secure humanitarian corridors to ensure the delivery of vital aid. He also called for the reconstruction of Gaza’s healthcare system and the resumption of the peace process, with a focus 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, for justice, for the promise of peace. We must not fail them.”

Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative for the West Bank and Gaza, briefed the Council on the escalating health crisis, revealing that more than 25% of the over 105,000 civilians injured in Gaza are facing life-changing conditions. He pointed out the critical delays in medical evacuations, with over 12,000 people still waiting to be treated abroad.

“Critical medical evacuations remain extremely slow. At the current rate, it would take five to ten years to evacuate all critically ill patients,” Peeperkorn warned. He also reported 654 attacks on health facilities in Gaza, leading to hundreds of deaths and injuries among healthcare workers and patients.

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also condemned the ongoing destruction of Gaza’s hospitals, noting that Israeli military operations have left many medical facilities non-functional, depriving Palestinians of their right to healthcare. He called the attacks a “human rights catastrophe” and emphasised the importance of protecting hospitals during conflict.

Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) shared the voices of healthcare workers in Gaza, who have been under constant threat since October 2023. More than 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed in the conflict. “They are proud, hardworking professionals who take their oath to care for their patients very seriously,” Dr. Haj Hassan said, stressing the resilience of Gaza’s medical staff despite the overwhelming challenges.

The session concluded with renewed calls for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ensure that those responsible for targeting medical facilities and other civilian infrastructure are held accountable for war crimes.