In the aftermath of a devastating explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the heart of Gaza City on Tuesday, a senior United Nations official has called for a United Nations investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, expressed his concerns and intentions for a swift and comprehensive investigation during an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. Griffiths emphasized the urgency of this inquiry, stating, "The UN will certainly want to do its own investigation … And it should be done very soon and very quickly."
The explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. In the aftermath of the incident, blame and accusations have been exchanged, further complicating the situation. Authorities in Gaza pointed fingers at Israel, while the Israeli government claimed that its intelligence indicated the explosion was the result of a failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad group, which the latter vehemently denied.
The United States' perspective on the matter currently aligns with Israel's stance, as confirmed by the National Security Council, which believes that Israel is "not responsible" for the blast.
Addressing whether the evidence presented by Israel absolves them of responsibility, Griffiths stated, "It’s not done for me because I’m not in the business of judging human rights abuses and atrocities of that kind." The call for a UN investigation is rooted in the need to ensure accountability, provide answers, and prevent similar tragic incidents in the future.
Martin Griffiths underlined the importance of an investigation as a means to learn vital lessons and prevent future occurrences: "A UN investigation might allow important lessons to be learned, to stop it happening to the next hospital, to the next school, to the next institution where people are fleeing."
Additionally, Griffiths asserted the United Nations' readiness to provide humanitarian aid to the affected areas and pleaded for an immediate cessation of airstrikes in locations where humanitarian access was required. He stressed the significance of adhering to international humanitarian law, which prohibits airstrikes on civilian objects and infrastructure, saying, "It’s the safety of aid, which is as important as its dependability. We can do it because we have the aid, we have the people, we have the trucks, and we certainly have the will."
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