Amid growing concerns over alleged mistreatment of medical staff in Gaza following an Israeli raid, a UK Foreign Office minister has called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
‘A full explanation’
Responding to inquiries from Labour MP Bethan Winter, Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell, as reported by The Guardian, has affirmed the UK government’s push for “a full explanation and investigation” into the alleged mistreatment met on medical staff. As per media reports, the Israeli raid, which began on 15 February, targeted Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza’s largest functioning medical facility.
Emphasising the importance of upholding international humanitarian law, he added: “When it comes to targeting operations there are lawyers embedded in the Israeli and the IDF command, just as there are in Britain, and that should ensure that the acceptance and honouring of international humanitarian law is kept, but I agree with [Winters] a full explanation is required.”
The purported raids
Reports from doctors allege that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground troops stormed the hospital, cutting off access routes and shelling its premises. Because of the assault, patients, medical staff, and displaced civilians taking shelter at the hospital were forced to flee.
Tragically, at least 13 patients died because of the lack of electricity necessary to operate life-saving equipment like ventilators.
The IDF defended the raid as “precise and limited,” citing intelligence suggesting Hamas militants were using the hospital as a base.
Subsequently, about 200 individuals — including dozens of medics from Nasser as per a BBC investigation published on Tuesday — were detained during the operation.
Disturbing accounts from the raid
Disturbing accounts have emerged. As per The Guardian, its sources have described brutal treatment, including beatings and humiliating acts during detention.
One doctor even recounted being blindfolded, stripped to his underwear, and subjected to physical violence, including an incident where his hand was broken by an interrogator.
While the IDF did not address specific allegations, they denied any harm to medical staff, stressing that mistreatment of detainees goes against their orders.
Not good enough
Sacha Deshmukh, CEO of Amnesty International UK, expressed dissatisfaction with Mitchell’s remarks, and said: “It’s not good enough for Andrew Mitchell to say the UK will press the Israeli authorities to investigate these harrowing allegations.”
“We know from years of so-called ‘investigations’ conducted by the Israeli military authorities into abuses committed by their forces in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, that there’s a vanishingly small prospect of there being any accountability whatsoever,” said Deshmukh.
“The UK must get firmly behind efforts by the international criminal court and the International Court of Justice to properly examine the growing catalogue of atrocities in Gaza.”
Previously, an internal UN report had revealed widespread abuse of Palestinian detainees, including beatings and sexual assault.
(With inputs from agencies)
