LONDON
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has called for an immediate investigation into "mounting evidence" that the Israeli army may have deliberately attacked Gazan health workers.
The London-based campaigners issued a briefing on Thursday sharing "disturbing testimonies from doctors, nurses, and ambulance personnel working in the area" and said there should be an investigation into attacks which have killed six medics.
"The harrowing descriptions by ambulance drivers and other medics of the utterly impossible situation in which they have to work, with bombs and bullets killing or injuring their colleagues as they try to save lives, paint a grim reality of life in Gaza," said Phillip Luther, Amnesty's Director of Middle East and North Africa. "Such attacks are absolutely prohibited by international law and would amount to war crimes. They only add to the already compelling argument that the situation should be referred to the International Criminal Court."
Jaber Khalil Abu Rumilleh, a health worker who spoke to Amnesty, told the organization that he witnessed the shelling of one of the hospitals.
"It was a shelling that had hit the fourth floor, the pregnancy and caesarean unit. Then there were a few more hits. People were terrified, patients ran out, doctors could not enter to help the injured and remove the dead," he said, in an account published by Amnesty. "Then the third floor was hit and four people were killed. I saw one women come running with the child she just gave birth to. Some women gave birth during the shelling."
The organization also highlighted that another witness, named Mohammad Abu Jumiza, "is partially deaf after suffering head injuries during an attack that took place while he was transferring injured people in his ambulance in Khan Younis on 24 July."
Dr. Bashar Murad, director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s emergency and ambulance unit, also told Amnesty that since the conflict started "at least two PRCS ambulance workers had been killed, at least 35 had been injured and 17 health vehicles had been left out of service after attacks by the Israeli army."
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 1886 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed and nearly 9800 others injured in the Israeli attacks on the long-besieged Gaza Strip.
www.aa.com.tr/en
