Ambassador Izzat Salah Abdulhadi has condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza and Israel. Photo: State of Palestine embassy
Israel's occupation of Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital is a catastrophe and violates international humanitarian law, a Palestinian ambassador says. Israel is defending the move because it says Hamas is running military operations from within its compound.
Ambassador Izzat Salah Abdulhadi is condemning the takeover of the hospital by Israeli forces and calling for more focus on introducing a two-state solution for the region. He is also disappointed that the New Zealand government has not joined in international calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
A group of United Nations experts said on Thursday there was "evidence of increasing genocidal incitement" against the Palestinian people in what it said were "grave violations" committed by Israel.
Israel's military says that during an ongoing operation within the hospital compound its troops have found weapons, combat gear and technological equipment at the Al-Shifa hospital.
There has been international condemnation of Israel's latest move, however, the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Israel in New Zealand, Yael Holan, told Morning Report on Thursday that if civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, was being used for military purposes, it became a legitimate target.
She said she had seen the video, released by the Israeli military, which proved Hamas "without any doubt" was using the hospital for fighting.
Israeli forces brought a BBC film crew into the hospital overnight and showed it some rifles they said were found there, but the broadcaster said Israeli escorts had barred its team from interacting with patients or staff.
This handout picture released by the Israeli army on November 15, 2023, reportedly shows Israeli soldiers carrying out operations inside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Photo: AFP / Israeli Army
Canberra-based Ambassador Izzat Salah Abdulhadi is head of the general delegation of Palestine to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific representing the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas whom Israel has vowed to destroy.
In the aftermath of Hamas attacks on Israel in which about 1200 civilians were killed, more than 11,000 have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities. Abdulhadi has condemned the killing of civilians on both sides of the conflict.
He told Morning Report the Palestinian Authority was guided by international humanitarian law.
His concern now was the protection of people in Gaza where Israel's bombing had resulted in thousands of deaths, the destruction of mosques and houses, and cutting off electricity and water, he said.
"And now bombarding of the hospital. It's a grievous violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza. It's a catastrophic situation now as we speak."
Abdulhadi called for a halt to the killings and said it was heartbreaking to see children dying in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
While he appreciated New Zealand's "even-handed" approach towards the region in the past, he said the government's failure to support a United Nations demand for a ceasefire was "unfortunate".
It was up the New Zealand government to decide on its position. He was more concerned about supporting calls for a ceasefire and doing everything he could to help ensure essential aid reached Gaza.
He had not conveyed his concerns to the government, he said.
Patients and medics are pictured at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. Photo: AFP
Too soon to speculate on Gaza's future
Asked if he saw a role for the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, to also oversee Gaza, Abdulhadi said it was too early to speculate on what the future would hold for the region.
"Our position is clear that we want to guarantee a sort of long-term comprehensive solution to the Palestine conflict, in particular the enforcement of the two-state solution.
"The Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory ..."
He added that the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian government were the sole representatives of the Palestinian people and they would not accept any separate solution for Gaza, nor "any arrangement" suggested by Israel.
"Most of our people support the two-state solution in which Palestine and Israel co-exist peacefully together" - Ambassador Izzat Salah Abdulhadi
Hamas has both a parliamentary wing and a military wing (the latter designated a terrorist organisation by the New Zealand government).
There had been a lot of unsuccessful attempts to try and get Hamas to accept the two-state solution, Abdulhadi said.
Israeli settlement of the West Bank was the main obstacle to the two-state solution, he said, and attacks on Palestinian residents there had been stepped up in the wake of the 7 October attacks.
He supported Israel's right to exist, but unfortunately Israel did not recognise the rights of self-determination for Palestinian people in statehood, he said.
"Most of our people support the two-state solution in which Palestine and Israel co-exist peacefully together."
A recent poll in Israel, however, indicated support for a one-state solution and self-determination only for its own citizens.
New Zealand does not recognise the state of Palestine, in contrast to the 139 countries that do.
- with additional reporting by Reuters