The military wing of Palestinian movement Hamas has called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday to create an international committee to inspect hospitals in the Gaza Strip to refute Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) statements that the buildings are being used for military purposes.
In late October, IDF spokesperson LTC Jonathan Conricus and the country's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, said that international organizations such as the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East should condemn the military use of Shifa Hospital in Gaza by Hamas.
"We call on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to form an international committee to visit hospitals in the Gaza Strip to check the false version ... that they are being used as shelters," the movement said in a statement.
The statement added that all hospitals in the enclave are open to visits by journalists and international organizations.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel from Gaza, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel retaliated with missile strikes and a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion into Gaza with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas and rescuing the hostages.
