Destruction of the healthcare system

Destruction of the healthcare system is a war crime that may consist of such actions as attacks on health care facilities such as hospitals, harm to healthcare workers, blocking of humanitarian aid and other supplies needed by the healthcare system. It has been reported during the Israeli blockade of Gaza[1] and Israel–Hamas war (see Israeli destruction of the Gaza Strip healthcare system),[2] Russian invasion of Ukraine,[3] Syrian civil war,[4] and Sudan conflict.[5] In order to prevent belligerents from justifying the destruction of the healthcare system by claiming that enemies were using the facilities as human shields, Neve Gordon and Nicola Perugini propose clarifying that all attacks that damage the healthcare system are war crimes.[6]

  1. ^ Perugini, Nicola; Gordon, Neve (2 January 2024). "Medical Lawfare: The Nakba and Israel's Attacks on Palestinian Healthcare". Journal of Palestine Studies. 53 (1): 68–91. doi:10.1080/0377919X.2024.2330366.
  2. ^ "Gaza's silent killings: The destruction of the healthcare system in Rafah | MSF". www.msf.org.
  3. ^ "Destruction and Devastation: One Year of Russia's Assault on Ukraine's Health Care System - Ukraine | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. ^ Alhaffar, M. H. D. Bahaa Aldin; Janos, Sandor (19 September 2021). "Public health consequences after ten years of the Syrian crisis: a literature review". Globalization and Health. 17 (1): 111. doi:10.1186/s12992-021-00762-9. ISSN 1744-8603. PMC 8449996.
  5. ^ Dafallah, Alaa; Elmahi, Osman K. O.; Ibrahim, Maisoon Elbukhari; Elsheikh, Rania Elfatih; Blanchet, Karl (27 September 2023). "Destruction, disruption and disaster: Sudan's health system amidst armed conflict". Conflict and Health. 17 (1): 43. doi:10.1186/s13031-023-00542-9. ISSN 1752-1505. PMC 10523736. PMID 37752590.
  6. ^ Gordon, Neve; Perugini, Nicola (22 July 2019). "'Hospital Shields' and the Limits of International Law". European Journal of International Law. 30 (2): 439–463. doi:10.1093/ejil/chz029. hdl:20.500.11820/8027da2e-e8ac-401a-b672-7f5ef152c3a0.