Gaza: Palestine on Saturday condemned Israel's destruction of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical centers in Gaza.
According to Anadolu Agency, the ministry stated, "The targeting of hospitals and medical centers is a deliberate act aimed at the eradication and forced displacement of our people." It further accused Israel of using starvation, thirst, and deprivation of medical treatment as weapons in its military campaign, arguing that these actions violate fundamental human rights and international humanitarian law.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also criticized the international community's continued inaction, suggesting that silence and inaction act as a "cover" for Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza. It called for "urgent international intervention to halt Israeli aggression and protect Palestinian civilians."
On Friday, Israeli forces detonated the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, located to the south of Gaza City, reducing the medical complex to rubble. The hospital, originally built to provide specialized cancer treatment, was the last functioning cancer hospital in the besieged enclave before becoming inoperative due to Israeli attacks and blockade-induced shortages of medical supplies.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that the facility had not been functioning as a hospital for over a year but did not provide further details regarding the justification for its destruction.
More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,000 others injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, overturning a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement established in January. Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants 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.