Jerusalem Committee condemns ongoing attacks on Palestinian hospitals by Zionists, occupation forces

AMMAN — A historical analysis of the acts of "Zionist" groups and the occupation forces revealed a consistent pattern of attacks on hospitals in occupied Palestine”, Secretary General of the Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs Abdullah Kanaan said on Thursday.

Kanaan listed the 1947 attack on a government hospital in Haifa, the use of the rooftops of Hadassah hospital for sniper attacks on civilians and Palestinian ambulances in 1948, as well as attacks on hospitals in Gaza, as “proof of Israel's recurring criminal acts”.

Al Shifa hospital was attacked by Israeli occupation in 1987, which resulted in the deaths of five patients, he said, adding “similar incidents occurred in 1988 against Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals in Gaza”.

Israeli occupation forces attacked Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital in 1988 and 1992, leading to the arrest of patients with critical conditions, he said.

Highlighting the ongoing crimes in Gaza, Kanaan cited the recent targeting of the Baptist hospital in Gaza, noting that individuals supporting Gaza’s resilience, including the Jordanian medical staff at the Jordanian field hospital, are vulnerable to Israeli airstrikes.

He stressed that the Israeli authorities' attacks on hospitals and medical personnel constitute a breach of international law, in particular the Geneva Conventions, which stipulates that medical supplies are not military targets, rendering such attacks as unlawful, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.