GENEVA — Israel on Friday defended its recent raid on a hospital in northern Gaza, citing “irrefutable evidence” that the facility was being used by militants. The justification was met with skepticism by the U.N. human rights chief, who called for an independent investigation, and the World Health Organization (WHO), which demanded the release of the hospital’s detained director.
Daniel Meron, Israel’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva, posted on social media a letter addressed to the WHO and Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. He asserted that the raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital last week was prompted by credible intelligence that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants were using the hospital as a base.
“Israeli forces took extraordinary measures to protect civilian life while acting on credible intelligence,” Mr. Meron said in the letter.
However, Mr. Turk told the U.N. Security Council that Israel had not provided sufficient evidence to support its claims. “Many of these claims are vague and broad, and in some cases appear contradicted by publicly available information,” he said. He called for independent, thorough, and transparent investigations into all attacks on healthcare infrastructure, medical personnel, and hospitals, as well as the alleged misuse of such facilities.
Israel’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Jonathan Miller reported that more than 240 individuals had been apprehended during the raid, including 15 who were allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel, which triggered the current conflict. Among those detained was the hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who Israeli officials suspect is a Hamas operative.
“Hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were hiding inside Kamal Adwan Hospital under his management,” Mr. Miller said. “He is currently being investigated by Israeli security forces.”
The WHO expressed concern over Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention. “We have lost contact with him since and call for his immediate release,” said WHO representative Richard Peeperkorn.
Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea stated that the United States is gathering information about Dr. Abu Safiya.
In an emotional moment, Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour recounted the words of Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, a Médecins Sans Frontières doctor killed in a strike at Gaza’s Al Awda Hospital in November 2023. Mr. Mansour quoted the message Dr. Nujaila had written on a hospital whiteboard: “Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us.”
(Source: Reuters)
