Hamas has commanded a network of tunnels and terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip since it took control in 2007. The Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist organization uses civilian areas, including hospitals, to store and launch rockets and spread propaganda. In violation of international law, Hamas also uses hospitals to hide command centers and shield operatives.
According to international law, hospitals are not permitted to be used for military activity. According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, “the responsible authorities shall ensure that the said medical establishments and units are, as far as possible, situated in such a manner that attacks against military objectives cannot imperil their safety.” A 1977 additional protocol says that “under no circumstances shall medical units be used in an attempt to shield military objectives from attack.”
Storing weapons near civilian sites, including hospitals, is part of Hamas’s doctrine. A NATO report examining Hamas activities between 2008 and 2014 found that they fire “rockets, artillery, and mortars from or in proximity to heavily populated civilian areas, often from or near facilities which should be protected.” Journalists from numerous media outlets, including the Financial Times, provided eyewitness testimony of rockets launched from near hospitals.
(via Power Line)
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