Bombing hospital or school isn't a 'miscalculation' but 'war crimes': WHO chief

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday condemned recent attacks on hospitals, schools and medical personnel in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, saying such actions cannot be dismissed as "miscalculations" or "collateral damage" and should be recognized as war crimes.

"Bombing a hospital or a school isn't a 'miscalculation.' Killing a paramedic isn't 'collateral damage.' Starving civilians isn't 'negotiating tactic.' These are war crimes. Full stop. Call it what it is," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the US social media company X.

At least 150 schoolgirls were killed in an airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern Iranian city of Minab on Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched joint attacks that have so far killed more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. More than 10,000 others were injured in the strikes.

Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and several Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

The conflict also spilled over to Lebanon, with the Israeli army expanding attacks that have killed more than 800 people and injured over 2,000 others since March 2 amid cross-border attacks with Hezbollah.