A United Nations report published on December 31 found that Israeli strikes on and near hospitals in the Gaza Strip had left healthcare in the Palestinian territory "to the brink of total collapse", warns Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
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00:00A report by the UN Human Rights Office has found that Israel's pattern of deadly attacks
00:06on and around Gaza's hospitals pushed the healthcare system to the brink of collapse
00:14with catastrophic effect.
00:17The report graphically details the impact of Israel's attacks, from the destruction
00:22of buildings and facilities to the killings of patients, staff and other civilians, raising
00:29serious concerns about Israel's compliance with international law.
00:35The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all
00:41sides at all times.
00:44In essence, if the relentless bombing and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were
00:50not enough, the one sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe, in fact, became a death
00:58trap.
00:59Under certain circumstances, the deliberate destruction of healthcare facilities may amount
01:07to a form of collective punishment, which is also a war crime.