Israel forces set fire to homes near Al-Awda Hospital in north Gaza

Israeli drones yesterday set fire to homes surrounding Al-Awda Hospital in Tel Al-Zaatar, in the northern Gaza Strip, according to Quds News Network.

According to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, occupation forces also set fire to several shelters and homes near the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, and bulldozed the hospital’s wall.

While fires broke out around the Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals in northern Gaza due to the ongoing shelling and the actions of occupation forces.

According to reports, 23 people, including patients and medical staff trapped inside the Indonesian Hospital, said they were facing the risk of starving to death due to the lack of food and water in the hospital.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) warned on Tuesday that Israel’s “deliberate” destruction of healthcare facilities in Gaza amounts to a form of collective punishment and constitutes a war crime.

In a report, the UN body highlighted that “Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza, and associated combat, pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians’ access to health and medical care.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, noted in the report that the continuous bombardment and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza have made hospitals, which should be a place of safety for Palestinians, death traps instead.

He emphasised that “The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all sides, at all times.”

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