Palestinian Health Ministry calls Israeli attack on Gaza hospital ‘war crime,' demands international probe

Gaza's Health Ministry on Monday denounced Israeli shelling on a hospital in southern Gaza as a “war crime,” demanding an independent international investigation into the attack.

Two patients were killed and several people injured when Israeli forces shelled the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern city of Khan Younis on Sunday night.

“This attack constitutes a new war crime added to the record of repeated Israeli violations against civilians and medical facilities, in blatant disregard for the rules of international humanitarian law and international conventions that prohibit targeting hospitals and healthcare workers,” Muneer Alboursh, Director General of the Health Ministry, said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn this heinous crime, which not only blatantly disregards the lives of innocent people but also hinders the provision of life-saving medical services at a time when patients and the wounded are in dire need of maximum care, while hospitals are already suffering severely due to the closure and siege imposed by the occupation on the Gaza Strip.”

The health official appealed to the international community and human rights organizations to act urgently “to stop these grave violations and hold those responsible for these crimes accountable.”

He also called for launching an independent international investigation to uncover the circumstances of the Israeli attack and ensure that the perpetrators do not escape punishment.

“We also call on all people of conscience around the world to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to pressure international bodies to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its ongoing crimes against humanity,” Alboursh said.

Nasser Medical Complex is one of the largest hospitals in southern Gaza, housing a significant number of patients and injured civilians.

The Israeli army has killed more than 700 Palestinians and injured over 1,000 since launching a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on March 18, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Since the start of its genocidal war on Gaza, Israel has attacked, burned, and destroyed 34 hospitals, rendering them inoperable, according to Gaza's government media office.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,200 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.