The European Union on Sunday condemned “Hamas’ use of hospitals and civilians as human shields” in the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to exercise “the greatest possible restraint” to protect civilians in the ongoing war.
The EU “condemns Hamas’ use of hospitals and civilians as human shields” and is “extremely concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said.
“The hostilities have serious consequences for hospitals and severely affect civilians and medical personnel,” he warned, pointing out that “according to international humanitarian law, hospitals, medical equipment and civilians in hospitals must be protected.”
“In addition, hospitals must be immediately supplied with the most necessary medical equipment and patients who need urgent medical assistance must be evacuated in safe conditions. In this sense, we call on Israel to show the greatest possible restraint in order to ensure the protection of civilians,” he added.
The call was made as fighting rages around al-Shife hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip.
Destroyed cardiology
The deputy health minister in the Hamas government told AFP on Sunday that the hospital’s cardiology building was “totally destroyed” in an Israeli airstrike.
The Israeli army has not yet commented and AFP could not confirm the bombing, but at least one witness from the hospital confirmed the strikes and damage.
Israel denies that it deliberately targets hospitals. It accuses Hamas of using the buildings and the tunnels beneath them as hideouts, which the Islamist militant group denies.
Borrell’s statement reiterates Brussels’ position that Israel “has the right to defend itself in accordance with international and humanitarian law.”
But the EU “joins the calls for a ceasefire in the conflict and the establishment of humanitarian corridors” in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.
In addition, it calls on Hamas to release more than 240 hostages abducted during its attack on October 7 and stresses that it is “extremely important” that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has “access to the hostages”.