Palestine condemns Israel’s destruction of Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza
Israeli attacks on hospitals part of broader policy of ‘eradication and forced displacement’ against Palestinians, according to Palestinian Foreign Ministry
A view of the destruction at Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, built by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) between the years 2011-2017 in Gaza City, Gaza on January 28, 2025.
ISTANBUL
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.
“The targeting of hospitals and medical centers is a deliberate act aimed at the eradication and forced displacement of our people,” the ministry said.
“Israel’s use of starvation, thirst, and deprivation of medical treatment as weapons in its military campaign violates fundamental human rights and international humanitarian law,” it added.
The ministry also condemned the international community's continued inaction, saying that silence and inaction serve as a "cover" for Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
It also 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, which was originally built to provide specialized cancer treatment, had been the last functioning cancer hospital in the besieged enclave before it was rendered 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 were killed and over 1,000 others injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold 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.
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