UN Experts Condemn Israel's ‘Medi-cide' in Gaza
The experts describe the attacks on health sector as a calculated act of 'medicide', the systematic extermination of medical infrastructure and personnel.
In a joint statement released Wednesday, Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, and Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the Israeli army is 'deliberately attacking and starving healthcare workers, paramedics, and hospitals' in an effort to annihilate Gaza's capacity to deliver medical care.
'Alongside witnessing an unfolding genocide, we are also witnessing a 'medicide,' a sinister and intentional destruction of health systems that amounts to an act of genocide,' the experts warned.
'As human beings and UN experts, we cannot remain silent about the war crimes being committed before our eyes.'
Their statement comes amid mounting international alarm over the collapse of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure after nearly a year of sustained bombardment, siege, and restricted humanitarian access.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between October 7, 2023, and June 11, 2025, there have been 735 recorded attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza, resulting in at least 917 deaths and 1,411 injuries. A total of 125 healthcare facilities have been affected, including the destruction or damage of 34 hospitals.
Health workers have reportedly been detained, tortured, and starved, the experts said, highlighting that some have fainted from hunger while on duty. 'This is a grave violation of not only their own right to health, but of their patients' right to care,' they said.
The rapporteurs also linked the attacks to what they describe as a broader Israeli policy of apartheid and occupation, clarifying that the targeting of Gaza's medical infrastructure is part of a pattern aimed at destroying Palestinian society.
'The disregard for the crimes Israel continues to commit in Gaza sends a stark message to the world that the lives of Palestinians do not matter,' the statement read. 'They are being denied their right to dignity, to existence, to food, and to safety.'
The experts issued an urgent call for a ceasefire as a first step toward accountability and the restoration of basic human rights for Gaza's besieged population.
'There is a moral imperative for the international community to stop the carnage, protect what remains of Gaza's healthcare system, and prevent the extermination of its people,' they said.
They also criticized the international community for its inaction, saying states have failed in their legal and moral obligations. 'Palestinians trapped in Gaza's hellscape are paying the ultimate price for that failure and indifference.'
Both Mofokeng and Albanese serve as independent experts under the UN Human Rights Council's Special Procedures, an unpaid role independent of any government or UN body. Their mandate allows them to investigate and report on specific human rights issues around the world.
While their views do not represent official UN policy, their findings contribute to ongoing international legal assessments and pressure on member states to take action.
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