As a result of Israel's ongoing attacks against Palestinians in Gaza since 7 October 2023, more than 24 thousand people have lost their lives and more than 61 thousand people have been injured.1 Israel's attacks on hospitals in Gaza have turned into massacres, but these attacks are yet to meet with any international sanctions. This violent stance of Israel has kept on escalating and finally, the surrounding area of the Nasser Hospital, located in the city of Khan Younis, where the wounded, patients, and civilians escaping from the attacks had taken shelter, were bombed and as a result, many Palestinians lost their lives and were injured due to this bombardment.2
In 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols and international law of armed conflict, it is clearly stated that medical facilities, healthcare personnel, patients, and injured people in the conflict zone are to be protected. Within this scope, all attacks against hospitals, medical personnel in hospitals, patients and injured people are considered war crimes within the framework of international law.
In the report released by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on 14 January 2024, it has been stated that only 15 of the 36 hospitals in Gaza provide limited healthcare services and the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city is one of those hospitals; however, the hospital is at risk of closure due to the attacks Israel carried out around the hospital.3
As the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye, we once again condemn the systematic and indiscriminate attacks and acts Israel carries out against Palestinians in violation of international human rights law and humanitarian law norms, and call on states, international mechanisms, and all actors of the international community to take the initiative to end this massacre.
Respectfully announced to the public.