The Israeli army apprehended an injured Palestinian in Nablus, although hospitals are protected by international law.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in the occupied West Bank called for international intervention to stop Israeli attacks on the health system after Israeli forces attacked a hospital in Nablus and arrested an injured patient.
The ministry issued a statement Wednesday calling the raid “a blatant violation of all international laws and conventions that stipulate the protection of treatment centers and patients.”
The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that the man, identified as Ayman Ghanem, was arrested on Wednesday at the Arab Specialized Hospital after being the target of a drone attack near Tubas the day before.
Israeli authorities confirmed they had apprehended a Palestinian in a hospital in Nablus. The Israeli military said the attack that injured him also killed three other people.
In a joint statement, the Israeli army, Shin Bet security services and Israeli police accused him of being “the third member of a terrorist cell that carried out the shooting” at Mehola Junction in August, during which an Israeli was killed.
They also accused him of planning further attacks and posing “an imminent threat to Israeli civilians.”
The Palestinian Health Ministry called on “international institutions” and the Red Cross to “immediately intervene to end the occupation’s attacks on treatment centers and staff, demanding immediate protection of the health and safety system.” all its components.
The Israeli statement said that “security forces will continue to operate wherever necessary to thwart terrorism in the region and maintain the safety of Israeli civilians.”
Health facilities, including hospitals, are protected by international humanitarian law. This protection extends to medical personnel, patients and means of transport.
Wafa said Israeli forces carried out another raid on a hospital in Tubas on Tuesday, after an Israeli attack on a vehicle at the entrance to Aqqaba killed two Palestinians and injured another.
According to the agency, the military arrested five staff members, including the hospital’s general director, and beat the head of the emergency department.
Israeli forces have raided hospitals in the occupied West Bank to make arrests or recover the bodies of Palestinians killed in their attacks.
At times, the army carried out targeted killings within its premises.
In January, Israeli forces disguised as medical personnel and civilians shot dead three Palestinians at a hospital in Jenin, in the West Bank.
The killings were carried out by undercover agents while the men slept at Ibn Sina Hospital, according to statements by the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Israeli army.
Security camera footage posted online shows a dozen undercover officers roaming a hospital corridor with assault rifles.
