Gaza: Healthcare System Support

Baroness Altmann Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Altmann (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. I have huge respect for the noble Baroness, Lady Kennedy, and I thank her for calling this debate. My heart goes out to all those suffering—Palestinians and Israelis—following the Hamas massacre. Hamas cynically exploits hospitals and healthcare, inviting attack by firing on Israel from those facilities. Hamas has turned hospitals into terror command centres. It has used them to hide hostages and terrorists. Hamas terrorists themselves go round disguised as women, even holding children. They are deliberately disguising themselves as patients and doctors and travelling in ambulances. They are callously putting ordinary Palestinians in harm’s way.

The protections for hospitals and healthcare are not unconditional, but the Palestinian Hamas terrorists cynically exploit international sympathy. I join in sympathy for those impacted. Article 8.2 of the Rome statute prohibits intentionally directing attacks against hospitals, provided they are not military objectives—but they have become so.

The December actions at Kamal Adwan Hospital found large terrorist operations there. Some 240 Hamas, PIJ and other operatives were caught, and 19 terrorists were killed. Even then, many tried to pose as patients and flee. This is the same in other hospitals that Israel has attacked, and it has set up its own. Notwithstanding all of this, Israel has provided fuel and medical supplies. It has even run a vaccination campaign for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hep B and polio—hardly genocidal intent.

I pray for peace, and I pray for a relief for the Palestinians and Israelis.