NEW YORK
The United Nations on Monday condemned civilian killings in Gaza and said health care facilities must be protected after a strike near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital damaged a medical storage facility. UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the World Health Organization reported the Saturday strike destroyed essential medical supplies it had delivered and caused minor damage to the hospital building.
Haq said daily air strikes, shelling and shooting continued across Gaza over the weekend, reportedly killing dozens, including children and other civilians. “We condemn all killings of civilians,” Haq told reporters, adding that health care facilities “must never be attacked or militarized.”
Israel’s military on Saturday killed two Palestinians in Gaza and destroyed two warehouses near a hospital that were said to be storing medicine in separate strikes, amid uncertainty over whether Israel has accepted a deal reached with Hamas over the group’s disarmament.
Palestinian health officials said two Palestinians were killed in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City in central Gaza in an Israeli air strike. A military spokesperson said those targeted were Hamas militants but declined to provide further details. Gaza’s health ministry said July saw 150 reported fatalities, including dozens of civilians, its highest monthly toll this year.
