UN rights chief calls deadly blasts at 2 Kyiv hospitals 'abominable'

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN human rights chief described the latest attacks on two hospitals in Kyiv, Ukraine, as "abominable," his spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"Last night, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk described as abominable the deadly blasts at two Kyiv hospitals that treat children and women," Jeremy Laurence told a UN briefing in Geneva.

Russia launched a wave of strikes on densely populated areas of Ukraine, including the cities of Kryvi Rih, Pokrovsk, and Dniprox as well as the hospitals, Laurence said, adding that the human rights office has received reports showing key energy infrastructure facilities were hit.

Turk deplored the attacks and called on those with influence to "do everything in their power to ensure these attacks stop immediately," he said. "Civilians must be protected, and the laws of war strictly adhered to."

The spokesperson underlined the need for "prompt, thorough and independent" investigations into these latest "grave" attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

"These huge, coordinated attacks on Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro and Pokrovsk are particularly shocking and demonstrate to the outside world that the tragic full-scale war is continuing relentlessly in Ukraine," UN refugee agency spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said for his part.

"It’s a stark reminder that people, homes and infrastructure are impacted almost on a daily basis somewhere in Ukraine," Saltmarsh said, noting that UNHCR and partners are responding with emergency shelter materials to the many people whose homes and apartments have been damaged in numerous locations.

"The people of Ukraine must not be forgotten," he said and added: "More urgent support is needed now, especially in view of the upcoming winter, which will make the situation worse for those who have already endured so much."

Regarding UNHCR's Ukraine situation appeal covering refugees, he said that it seeks almost $1 billion for 2024, and that is less than one-third funded. The UN’s broad humanitarian response appeal for inside Ukraine of $3.1 billion is also around one-third funded, he added.

- WHO verifies 1,882 attacks against health care

The World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson told the briefing that as of July 9, the agency has verified 1,882 attacks against health care, 150 deaths, 379 injuries, and 1,624 impacted health facilities

Primary health care was affected by 40% of these attacks, impeding Ukrainians' access to basic health services, Tarik Jasarevic said.

Jasarevic stressed that since the start of Russia's war, on average, 200 ambulances per year are damaged or destroyed in shelling attacks.

"WHO condemns all acts of violence against health care," he said. "We call for the protection of health facilities so that care may be delivered to all who need it without being hindered by acts of violence and obstruction."

He also warned that attacks on civil infrastructure, particularly energy sources and transmission centers, cause power outages and disruptions in the water supply, leading to increased risk of waterborne disease outbreaks and undermining the surveillance system's ability to detect and respond timely to possible cases of waterborne, foodborne, and other infectious diseases.