UN Human Rights Official Asks Israel To Give Access To Gaza To Enliven Claims Against Al Shifa Hospital

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. (Twitter/@volker_turk)

JAKARTA - The head of UN human rights has asked Israel to grant its team access to Gaza, to investigate claims regarding Al-Shifa Hospital.

Israel claims there is a command and operations center for the Hamas militant group at the bottom of the hospital, as well as possible weapons storage.

"We need to look at this by having access. We cannot rely on any of the parties in this regard," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker T\"urk told CNN, as quoted November 17.

Turk added the situation required "independent international investigations, because we have a different narrative."

Meanwhile, Israel is under growing international pressure, to reveal evidence of what it describes as a Hamas command and control center under Al-Shifa Hospital, when Israeli forces launched an attack on the hospital on Wednesday morning.

T\"urk added that hospitals always get special protection based on humanitarian law.

"You should not use civilians, especially hospitals, for any military purpose. But you also cannot attack the hospital without clear evidence," he stressed.

As previously reported, the Palestinian militant group denied statements by the Israeli military that said it had found the group's operational tunnel at the Al Shifa Hospital Complex, Gaza Strip.

"Today, Hamas tunnel infrastructure is seen inside the hospital," the Israeli military said in a statement that also included photos and videos.

In response, state media offices managed by Hamas denied they used Al-Shifa Hospital as command and control center, calling Israel's claim "baseless lies."

Hamas accused Israel of providing "false scenarios, false narratives and distorting information about Al-Shifa Medical Complex," in a written statement.

Hamas called the tunnel's claim to be a "cheamous scenario", saying it was all "part of a continuous campaign of incitement and frauds carried out over the years" to justify Israel's war on Gaza.

"This is a failed attempt to avoid accountability and future lawsuits," the statement said.