The Targeting of Hospitals in Gaza and Beyond

PRIO's Peace in a Pod

On November 15th, Israeli forces stormed al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, in search of a Hamas base.

The facility sheltered hundreds of people: wounded civilians, children, and newborns. Soon after, the World Health Organization labeled the hospital a "death zone."

Healthcare facilities enjoy special protections under international law. However, from Gaza to Ukraine, and in many other places, evidence suggests that hospitals are routinely viewed as mere military targets.

So, how does international law safeguard healthcare facilities, and why is it often insufficient to protect hospitals and healthcare workers?

Larissa Fast, a PRIO Global Fellow and Professor of Humanitarian and Conflict Studies at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester, joins this episode as the Principal Investigator on the project 'Researching the Impact of Attacks on Healthcare.' She is accompanied by Tobias Köhler, a specialist in international humanitarian law with the Norwegian Red Cross, who has served in legal and protection roles for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

This episode is hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Arnaud Siad.

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