On Monday, Israel’s Health Ministry issued directives instructing members of the healthcare system not to collaborate with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, East Jerusalem, and Israel, citing perceived anti-Israel sentiments, Times of Israel reported.
This move comes in response to the commission’s recent outreach to senior physicians and hospital staff who treated victims and released hostages on October 7, as part of its investigation into international and gender-based crimes during the Israel genocide in Gaza.
The commission, operating under the UN Council for Human Rights, requested information and interviews for its reports to be presented to the Human Rights Council in June and the UN General Assembly in October.
According to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, the Justice Ministry instructed the Health Ministry’s legal department to advise Israeli doctors and others involved in the care of October 7 victims not to engage with the inquiry, as reported by Times of Israel.
Israel alleges that the commission has an open-ended mandate to investigate without time limits and claims that those leading the commission are known for their antisemitic and anti-Israel views.
Israel’s spokesperson, Eli Haiat, expressed concerns about the commission, stating, “The commission of inquiry is there to investigate Israel without any time limits, unlike any other commission of inquiry from the UN system.”
Haiat further criticised the people chosen to head the commission, describing them as “famous antisemitic and anti-Israel people.”
The commission, which has held public hearings in Geneva, previously condemned “attacks, restrictions, and harassment of civil society actors in Israel, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,” predominantly placing blame on Israeli authorities.
As more than hundred days have passed since genocicd began in Gaza, Israel’s relentless bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip continues with no sign of easing, amid a growing humanitarian catastrophe and the looming threat of a regional spillover.
More than 24,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed since the war began on October 7.
