Today's Edition
NEW YORK (WAM)
Two independent UN experts on Thursday appealed for an end to what they called "the blatant disregard of the right to health in Gaza" following the raid last week on Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north and the arbitrary arrest and detention of its director.
"For well over a year, Israel's blatant assault on the right to health in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory is plumbing new depths of impunity," the experts said.
The joint statement was from two independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council: Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health, and Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The experts were "horrified and concerned" by reports from North Gaza, "especially the attack on health workers including the last remaining of 22 now destroyed hospitals: Kamal Adwan Hospital."
The experts called on Israel to respect and protect the right to life and health in Gaza and the whole Occupied Palestinian Territory. "They must also ensure the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all other arbitrarily detained healthcare workers," they urged.
Separately, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that civilians are not safe anywhere in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, OCHA said that the Israeli military once again ordered the evacuation of large areas within Gaza, covering about three square kilometres in North Gaza and Deir al Balah governorates. Since then, strikes have been reported in the Al Mawasi area, where people have been ordered to move and take shelter.
It warned that every day without a ceasefire will bring more tragedy, as over 80 percent of the Gaza Strip is under unrevoked Israeli evacuation orders.
"Overall, 39 percent of UN attempts to move aid workers anywhere in Gaza were denied by the Israeli authorities, with another 18 percent disrupted on the ground or hindered," the statement highlighted.
