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Hospitals struck in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza despite international law

newsJul 27, 202625211

On 4 June a drone struck an ambulance on the grounds of Luchansky city clinical hospital in Kherson, Ukraine, grazing a midwife and the driver who survived with minor shrapnel wounds and concussion; the vehicle was marked "ambulanza" and bore a red cross. That incident sits within a sharp rise in attacks on medical workers and facilities worldwide, which have more than doubled since 2021 and topped some 2,500 documented incidents across 33 countries in 2024, according to the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. Conflicts cited in the Guardian survey include Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan, and the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s 2023 Gaza war helped drive the 2024 peak. Since Israel began a new offensive in Lebanon in March, Safeguarding Health in Conflict recorded 247 incidents affecting healthcare and 148 health workers killed there, and three hospitals in southern Lebanon were hit in one week. International law has long granted special protection to hospitals and medical personnel, rooted in the first Geneva convention of 1864 and reiterated in a UN Security Council resolution adopted about 10 years ago, but the Guardian reports those protections are increasingly ignored. State actors including Russia and Israel often claim hospitals are being used for military purposes yet disclose little evidence, and some experts now regard attacks on healthcare as being used deliberately as a weapon of war. Rohini Haar, an emergency doctor and human rights lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, warned that failure to protect hospitals risks the breakdown of all international law.

The Guardian
@theguardian.com

From Ukraine and Sudan to Gaza: why have hospitals become a target of war?

676h ago
Dan24

Because we've got too many war criminals in high office.

Alan Jewitt15

Because several countries are ruled by criminals. Next.

Colonel Sharki14

The answer is that in 2023, when Israel destroyed the first hospital in Gaza & murdered its staff, Western media, including the Guardian, obfuscated the facts & muddied the waters with Israel’s lies. Other nefarious actors around the world observed this, & realised that they to could do this

Diana Jones13

Unfortunately they have learned from Israel saying terrorist are hiding in the basement or that they are storing arms blah, blah, blah

pcrritesgood.bsky.social4

They have not become targets of war they are targets of terrorism. Putin, Netanyahu, and anyone else targeting hospitals are terrorists.

Paul Blinkhorn3

Ah, that's any easy one: because the people carrying out the attacks are Nazis.

Quoting this
Janina Dill 41

Everyone who uncritically repeats "hospitals used for military purposes become legitimate targets" has a role to play in this epidemic of attacks against healthcare facilities in war! A) The law is more demanding than that! B) Without concrete evidence for "use" attacks are presumptively illegal.

UNITED24
@u24.gov.ua

Today is Medical Workers' Day in Ukraine. A day for  those who respond to calls despite constant danger and save lives under fire❤️‍🩹 Join Scott Kelly's fundraiser for 10 cutting-edge ambulances for Ukrainian hospitals. Help Ukrainian medics in their vital work. u24.gov.ua/scott-kelly-...

768h ago
Drop Site
@dropsitenews.com

⭕️ "There is no safe place in the Gaza Strip.” “Refugee camps are being bombed, hospitals are being bombed, schools are being bombed. All places here in the Gaza Strip are being targeted by the Israeli army," journalist Amer Al-Farra told Drop Site after an Israeli strike hit near the public...

⭕️ "There is no safe place in the Gaza Strip.” “Refugee camps are being bombed, hospitals are being bombed, schools are being bombed. All places here in the Gaza Strip are being targeted by the Israeli army," journalist Amer Al-Farra told Drop Site after an Israeli strike hit near the public workspace where he and his colleagues had been gathered.
40Yesterday
Quoting this
rainy jorbo ☔️5

i'm actually willing to break quite a few laws to stop this from happening, because any law that allows this, is worse than useless

Dr. Divya (offline 🔔)
@divyampersaud.com

In one week, the occupation targeted the premises of three hospitals in Gaza: Monday, July 20 - 3 martyrs near the British Hospital Monday, July 20 - 4 martyrs at the first floor of Yemen Al-Saeed Hospital Saturday, July 25 - 1 martyr at the gate of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital

6Yesterday
Pasha Redfeather
@pasharedfeather.bsky.social

Never mind that Russia has bombarded, destroyed and murdered hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine, IN THEIR HOMES, HOSPITALS AND NURSING FACILITIES

4Yesterday
MB
@sugarcubedog.bsky.social

What is this headline? Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia attacks them every single days. Houses. Apartments. Hospitals. Schools. Churches. Museums. Ukraine only defends itself with military strikes.

6Yesterday
MissShell909
@missshell909.bsky.social

Ukraine has been going out of its way to not target civilian locations. They are going after factories and gas and electricity. Russia targets, hospitals and schools and malls. They kidnapped children and have raped over 2000 women. Russia is not the good guys.

418h ago
Not Anyone!
@b--r-a-d.bsky.social

Let’s pretend that’s real and not propaganda!!! Who cares!!! Russians bomb playgrounds, schools, churches and hospitals every f-ing day!!!!! If you’re upset the Ukraine did it once than congratulations, you’re an idiot and a POS!!!!

2Yesterday
Matt Buck
@thenewno2.bsky.social

We don't need laws against things that aren't advantageous for someone, because no one would ever do them. Consider what that means for why there is law to say hospitals should not be targeted.

13h ago
clockworkChris
@clockworkchris.bsky.social

Yes, disgusting 🤬 Is he aware of Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital being targeted by russia in 2024? The number of hospitals, maternity units, medical centres targeted by terrorist russia? 🤬🤬

321h ago
Wrtl Brmft
@wrtl.eurosky.social

There is a growing tendency of hatred against women and now the increase of attacks on hospitals. Are humans in the state of a worldwide density stress, opposing its own species conservation? All signs are pointing to self extinction. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

4h ago
annneff.bsky.social
@annneff.bsky.social

‘Two of the worst offenders, Russia & Israel, argue that hospitals are used for military purposes, yet disclose little evidence to back claims It fits a wider pattern of lack of enforcement for war crimes, allowing states &armed groups to act with near impunity’ www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

2h ago
DragonHawk1959
@dragonhawk-1.bsky.social

Truth! Netanyahu is a terrorist and war criminal! The IDF has literally targeted: ☆An area THEY declare safe ☆Gaza schools ☆At least 34-36 Gaza hospitals ☆Refugees camps ☆Escape routes And more. Making the iDF a terrorist organization and Israel a terrorist power!

120h ago
Catch22
@catch22-47.bsky.social

Russia tends to release footage, often false and/or doctored, that suits their narrative that Ukraine are terrorists. The number of schools, hospitals, shopping centres, railway stations, buses, residential properties, individual civilians (human safari) that Russia have hit is well documented.

1Yesterday
Bob Hrozencik
@bobhroz.bsky.social

It saddens me to know a portion of my tax dollars are spent to attack healthcare workers. When we allow our proxies to do it there that gives license to our enemies to do it here. War is a crime, war crimes are worse. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

5h ago
1 source
theguardian.comFrom Ukraine and Sudan to Gaza: why have hospitals become a target of war?

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