News Desk
Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s “deliberate” attacks on Gaza’s medical infrastructure, including hospitals, medical personnel, and patients, amid the ongoing conflict.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, called for an independent and transparent investigation into these attacks, urging the international community to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
Addressing an emergency session of the UN Security Council (UNSC), Ambassador Iftikhar stressed that the targeting of healthcare facilities violates international humanitarian law and must be met with accountability, not just condemnation.
He called on the Council to take decisive action to end the bloodshed in Gaza and demand an immediate ceasefire, highlighting the urgent need to address the ongoing destruction of medical facilities and the humanitarian crisis.
The session, convened by Algeria, which holds the presidency of the UNSC for January, also heard from representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, and Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).
They shared harrowing accounts of the dire situation in Gaza’s hospitals and the challenges faced by healthcare workers.
Ambassador Iftikhar pointed out that between October 2023 and June 2024, Israel conducted at least 136 airstrikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, resulting in the deaths of over 500 healthcare workers.
By June, 22 out of Gaza’s 38 hospitals were non-functional, with the healthcare system on the brink of collapse.
