– Protection of the wounded, sick and health services is a fundamental obligation in humanitarian law. The Shifa hospital is in ruins and, according to Doctors Without Borders, is completely out of business. Large parts of the population have been dependent on treatment at the hospital, he writes in an email.
On Monday, Israeli forces confirmed that they had withdrawn from the hospital after a two-week military operation. They justified this by saying that it was a targeted effort to capture Hamas fighters who they believed were hiding in the hospital.
The hospital was blown up, and many people have been killed and injured, in addition to hundreds of Palestinians being arrested.
– Unacceptable
On Tuesday, seven aid workers from the organization World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that the attack was unintentional and describes the incident as tragic.
– This is unacceptable, emphasizes Eide.
– Israel’s violent and extensive military operations in Gaza have led to enormous damage to the civilian population, including children, the sick and aid workers. Norway has been clear that parts of the warfare are not in line with the international law of war, he adds.
Fears more instability in the Middle East
Furthermore, Eide emphasizes that the attack that hit Iran’s embassy area in Damascus yesterday is a dangerous escalation.
On Monday, Iran’s consulate in Damascus was destroyed and several generals were killed. Israel’s military will not comment on the case, but is suspected of being behind it.
– The security situation in the Middle East is already fragile, and I fear that this could lead to even more instability in the Middle East. At the weekend, a Norwegian UN observer was among the injured in an incident in southern Lebanon.
Upset about press denial
The Foreign Minister is also very concerned about news reports that the Israeli authorities will ban Al Jazeera in Israel.
The Israeli national assembly, the Knesset, approved a bill on Monday evening that gives the government the authority to stop the television channel Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in Israel.
The law means that content from foreign TV channels can be banned from broadcasting and also makes it possible to close Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel. The law was passed by 70 votes to 10.
– The world community is completely dependent on the media to get credible information about the situation. Banning a news medium like Al Jazeera is a direct attack on press freedom, writes Eide in the email.
Tags: Espen Barth Eide Shifa Hospital Eide condemns destruction Shifa hospital Israeli attack killed aid workers
