International Humanitarian Law is under threat.
International Humanitarian Law is a set of rules that govern how wars can be fought. These laws are being broken.
International Humanitarian Law (also known as the Law of Armed Conflict which includes the Geneva Conventions) were first developed as far back as 1864. They were further developed following the atrocities of the Second World War.
IHL are a set of agreed rules that govern how wars can be fought and seek to ensure the protection of civilians. In particular, IHL requires the protection of medical facilities, personnel, and patients.
This week, Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza was forced to close by the Israel Defense Forces. Al Ahli hospital was one of two remaining hospitals operating in the north. All patients and staff were forced to evacuate, placing the injured and the sick in great jeopardy according to a statement from the Diocese of Jerusalem.
Early on in the conflict, a unit of Al Ahli was partly damaged by rocket fire, and another deadly explosion in the hospital’s courtyard drew international condemnation.
In spite of the increasing risk to themselves staff at the hospital determinedly carried on providing emergency healthcare to those caught up in the war and providing shelter to many with nowhere else to go. They come because they believe it to be a safe haven in a time of war and destruction.
On the same day, the Holy Family School in Gaza was bombed, causing serious destruction in the compound and resulting in civilian casualties. The school, run by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, was a place of refuge for hundreds of civilians whose homes were destroyed. Their statement declared:
“... they hoped against all odds that their families and children would be safe, but there is no safe place in Gaza”.
The following day reports suggest Russian missiles struck a children's hospital in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, killing thirty-six people and injuring 140. In response to the strikes on Ukraine a UN spokesperson reminded that:
"...directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law, and any such attacks are unacceptable and must end immediately".
Whilst no government in the world denies the need or importance of IHL, the interpretation and enforcement of the law seems to be increasingly undermined by democratic nations through “self-serving interpretations” that enable atrocities to continue unchecked. Attacks on health workers, hospitals and clinics jumped 25% last year to their highest level on record.
Prayer points:
We pray for all those caught up in the atrocities of war, particularly in Gaza and Ukraine, and for hospitals, including Al Ahli, and schools to be reopened
We pray that governments and their legal advisors would maintain their responsibility to seriously uphold the laws of war – not just the rules, but the spirit of the law, and hold their forces to the highest standards
For immediate ceasefire and for full humanitarian funding and access to bring urgent assistance to those displaced and suffering as a result of the conflicts including in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan
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Photo: Courtesy of the Diocese of Jerusalem. Al Ahli Hospital, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, is providing medical care to patients as well as shelter and basic needs for family members within their compound.
