Keywords
A recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates the treatment of hundreds of injured people on the floor of the bloodbath emergency department of Al-Shifa Hospital, one of the few working hospitals in Gaza without access to anesthetics and sterile equipment (1).
The death toll in Gaza since October 7 is now more than 19,000 civilians, many of them children, women, and the elderly (2, 3). Over 300 healthcare workers, 86 journalists, and 135 UNRWA staff are among the victims (2). The hospitals in Gaza have been the target of bombardment deliberately. Many ambulances were damaged. Access to drugs and food has become a dream for many residents of Gaza. As said by WHO team members, people are trapped in a circle of death, destruction, hunger, and disease (1, 4). According to the report of the Health Ministry of Palestine, there are now 360,000 documented cases of infectious diseases in shelters, but the numbers are much higher (2, 5). These include diarrheal diseases as well as other infectious diseases affecting children and the elderly.
A recent report by the Aljazeera news network indicates Israeli forces have crushed wounded Palestinians in tents in the yard of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza using bulldozers (6).
These unbelievable events are occurring in front of Cameras and news agencies and are broadcast globally, but unfortunately, no effective measures are seen to stop these brutal events.
Almost all international laws focusing on human rights and civilian rights during the war were dismissed during this war. The Geneva Conventions have stressed special protection for health facilities, ambulances, and health workers, even in military facilities and occupied territories (7).
If there were no castigation for those who violated these laws, these collective efforts for human rights would be meaningless.
As was proposed before, international bodies, including the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC), should be proactive in contending these attacks on health facilities and wounded civilians as war crimes and crimes against humanity (8).
This is a special moment in human history. As we are approaching the New Year, this is a sensible time to watch and ward on whether current world governance is capable of reinforcing international law or the tendentious aims that would slaughter humanity.
References
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1.
Nation U. UN workers delivering aid to Gaza hospital describe 'bloodbath' in overflowing emergency department. 2023. Available from: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1144877.
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2.
Agency WN. Death toll across Palestine surges to 19,088, over 54,450 wounded. 2023. Available from: https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/140127.
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3.
Faddoul A, Shannon G, Asghar K, Boukari Y, Smith J, Neilson A. The health dimensions of violence in Palestine: a call to prevent genocide. Lancet. 2023;403(10421):25-6. [PubMed ID: 38128558]. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02751-4.
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4.
Salmiya MA. Gaza hospitals: Military siege and bombings. Lancet. 2023;402(10418):2191. [PubMed ID: 38035877]. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02566-7.
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5.
Moussally K, Abu-Sittah G, Gomez FG, Fayad AA, Farra A. Antimicrobial resistance in the ongoing Gaza war: a silent threat. Lancet. 2023;402(10416):1972-3. [PubMed ID: 37952545]. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02508-4.
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6.
Aljazeera. PA health minister seeks probe into deadly Israeli raid on Gaza hospital. 2023. Available from: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/17/pa-health-minister-seeks-probe-into-deadly-israeli-raid-on-gaza-hospital.
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7.
OHCHR. International standards. 2023. Available from: https://www.ohchr.org/en/protecting-human-rights-conflict-situations/international-standards.
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8.
Gostin LO, Goodwin MB. Wars in gaza and beyond: Why protecting the sacredness of health matters. JAMA. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.26391.