More than 100 days in, Israel has shattered the safety of every place
Gazans turn to for shelter. The brutal bombardment on the Gaza Strip
obliterated over 70 percent of housing units, forcing civilians to seek refuge
in places traditionally considered sanctuaries, like hospitals and schools.
Unfortunately, these places were not spared from Israeli airstrikes. Moreover,
when Israel initiated its ground invasion, a disturbing trend unfolded as
Israel’s Occupation Forces (IOF) repurposed these places into military barracks
before subjecting them to devastating attacks.
اضافة اعلان
On January 18, a video resurfaced depicting the moment the IOF blew
up Al-Israa University in the southern part of the strip, destroying the main
building of postgraduate studies and undergraduate faculties. In response,
Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank released a statement on X,
formerly known as Twitter, condemning the bombing of the university campus. The
statement noted, “This occurred after seventy days of the occupation occupying the campus, turning it into their base and military barracks for their forces.”
The statement added that the attack also targeted the national museum
established by the university. This museum, housing over 3,000 rare artifacts,
was looted by the IOF, followed by a deliberate bombing aimed at covering up
the crime.
Furthermore, the university administration has reported that the
University Hospital, the first and only university hospital in Gaza and the
second in Palestine, suffered devastating destruction. Medical and engineering
laboratories, nursing labs, media training studios, and the special court hall
of the Faculty of Law were all demolished, with valuable contents essential for
student's research and academic use looted in the process. Not even the
longstanding cafeteria building was spared from the attacks. The assault also
targeted and destroyed the main university mosque inside the southern campus.
Additional university branches also fell victim to bombings and looting,
including the headquarters of intermediate studies in northern Gaza and the
headquarters of Vocational Training in the Rimal neighborhood, both repurposed
as shelters for displaced individuals.
Not an isolated event:
IOF's transformation of schools and hospitals for military meansSeveral reports by various
organizations and news sites have meticulously documented instances where the
IOF has exploited schools and hospitals, turning them into bases for military
operations and sites for field executions. This strategy is not only prohibited
in international law but also highlights a systematic approach by the IOF in
compromising the sacredness of educational and medical institutions.
The approach adopted by Israel
in committing these crimes is conducted in a series of steps. Initially,
Israeli airstrikes targeted the schools and hospitals, leading to civilian
casualties. The IOF then raided these locations, destroyed them, looted personal
belongings, and used them for field executions and detentions. Eventually, the
IOF transformed these places into military bases, and upon withdrawal, they
demolished the sites by planting explosives, such as a school, in Beit Lahia,
northern Gaza, that was grazed to the ground on December 12, 2023.
Starting with Al-Shifa Hospital,
which gained significant attention in the news, Israel raided the hospital in
November 2023, claiming that Hamas's main command center was underground. They
then converted it into a military barracks, set up electronic checkpoints, and
positioned tanks within its vacancy. Despite the presence of thousands of
trapped individuals, including displaced Palestinians, critically ill patients,
and medical staff, the IOF targeted generators and communication units; as well
as, blowing up its medicine warehouse.
After receiving little to no
condemnation and facing zero repercussions, Israel replicated the same process
in different hospitals around the strip. For instance, the Indonesian Hospital,
taken as a base in December 2023, was left damaged with its medical equipment
destroyed. Furthermore, during the same month, the IOF converted Al-Awda
Hospital, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, into a military
barracks. Within the hospital, a total of 240 individuals, including medical
staff, patients, and displaced civilians, were held without access to water,
food, or essential medical supplies.
Continuing the destructive
pattern, similar actions were observed in various schools throughout the strip.
One notable example is the Shadia Abu Ghazaleh government school, where the IOF
trapped displaced individuals, subjecting them to abuse and interrogation until
they withdrew from the area. An eyewitness, Muhammad Jalal, recounted to
Euro-Med Monitor the shock of discovering 15 bodies after the IOF left the
school. "It was obvious that they were directly shot, and some of them had
their bodies disintegrated due to the heavy gunfire," he said.
Moreover, a video posted by Dr.
Refaat Alareer, who was assassinated by Israel in December of last year,
captured the aftermath of Israeli troops transforming a UN school into a
military center. They also fired thousands of bullets and shells into the playground,
destroying the school.
A war on education and healthcare: Israel’s intention to
render Gaza uninhabitableSince the outbreak of the war on
Gaza, Israel seized the opportunity to implement a long-echoed agenda voiced by
various Israeli officials and historians: the expulsion of Palestinians from
the strip. This objective has been actively pursued through a pivotal
strategy—the systematic targeting of the healthcare and education systems to
render the strip uninhabitable.
So far, Israeli violent attacks
have destroyed at least 94 schools and universities, along with over 30
hospitals going out of service. Furthermore, more than 326 medical staff were
killed, and over 99 health personnel were detained, such as the director of
Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr. Mohammad Abu Salima, who has been taken by the IOF, and
his whereabouts are still unknown.
This deliberate targeting of the
medical facilities is a calculated approach to cripple the essential sector
that sustains the Palestinian population. It leaves Palestinians with no access
to healthcare, which is disastrous in such times when civilian injuries are
considered fatal. The ramifications extend beyond immediate health crises,
contributing to the broader concept of ethnic cleansing. Patients with chronic
illnesses are being deprived of life-saving medication and equipment,
contributing to the tragic deaths of many, as they become victims of a strategy
aimed at crushing the Palestinian resilience.
The same thing can be applied to
the education system, as it’s also fundamental to a population. The ongoing
aggression in Gaza leads to promoting ignorance and hinders people’s access to
knowledge and progress. By targeting the educational infrastructure, such as
scholars, academics, libraries, and schools, civilians are left with no
prospects for a future as it affects the job market and economic growth.
Programme Leader for
Undergraduate Degree at Regate College in London, Rula Alousi, discussed, in
research, the impact of the US invasion of Iraq on education, highlighting a
significant decline in the quality and availability of education, with a staggering
percentage of Iraq's schooling system destroyed. The consequences include a
reduction in enrollment, the unavailability of skilled staff, and a detrimental
effect on literacy and basic human rights.
In conclusion, by systematically
rendering the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, Israel aims to create an environment
where the Palestinian population is forced into displacement. The objective is
not only military victory but holding more control over the region through the
expulsion of its indigenous population.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
