LONDON (Palestine Foundation Information Center) British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu Setah said that the Israeli occupying authorities view the destruction of the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip as preliminary preparation for a plan of genocide.
In a statement to Anadolu Agency, Abu Setah indicated that Israel “has placed the destruction of the healthcare system in Palestine at the core of its military doctrine from the beginning, in order to make the Gaza Strip uninhabitable.”
Abu Setah, who serves as the President of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, confirmed that the occupation has launched its attacks on the Gaza Strip with a plan to destroy the entire healthcare system and its various components. He added that “Israel did not only target buildings but also destroyed 33 out of 36 hospitals that were providing services throughout the region.”
The British-Palestinian doctor continued that “Israel killed a thousand healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and lab technicians to eliminate an entire generation of healthcare professionals.” He explained that it destroyed the healthcare system by demolishing water treatment and sewage facilities. Additionally, it destroyed the homes of residents, leaving people more susceptible to infectious diseases.
Abu Setah emphasized that Israel considers the destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza as a precursor to the genocide project, stating: “I do not know of any war in modern history where the systematic destruction of the healthcare system was central to the doctrine of the warring armies, but the destruction of the healthcare system played a pivotal role in disrupting life in Gaza from Israel’s perspective.”
The British-Palestinian doctor saw the importance of prosecuting Israeli officials, soldiers, and politicians in The Hague for their destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza, saying, “Otherwise, every future war will follow the model of Gaza, as the destruction of the healthcare system played a central role in the management of the war.”
Abu Setah went to Gaza immediately after Israel launched its war against it and joined its hospitals, particularly the Shifa Medical Complex and the Baptist Hospital (Al-Ahli Arab) located in Gaza City (North), where he performed his humanitarian and medical duties for 43 days. On November 16, 2023, he was forced to leave after it became impossible to continue his tasks.
Abu Setah pointed out that Interpol should issue arrest warrants against Israeli soldiers, leaders, and politicians, stressing that the International Criminal Court should adopt the same measure. He saw the necessity for “countries, especially in the West, to begin arresting Israeli soldiers and politicians when they travel there.”
On October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, with a ceasefire agreement coming into effect on January 19, 2025, more than 15 months after its devastating aggression, which resulted in approximately 159,000 Palestinian martyrs and injured, around 70% of whom were children and women, in addition to more than 14,000 missing persons.
