GENEVA — A United Nations enquiry said it found that Israel carried out a concerted policy of destroying Gaza's healthcare system in the Gaza war, actions amounting to both war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination.

A statement on Thursday (Oct 10) by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay that accompanied the report accused Israel of "relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities" in the war, triggered by Hamas militants' deadly cross-border attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

"Children in particular have borne the brunt of these attacks, suffering both directly and indirectly from the collapse of the health system," said Pillay, whose 24-page report covering the first 10 months of the war will be presented to the UN General Assembly on Oct 30.

Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva rejected the report's findings, calling them outrageous.

"(The report) is another blatant attempt by the CoI to delegitimize the very existence of the State of Israel and obstruct its right to protect its population," it said, referring to the Commission of Enquiry.

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