Gaza Herald – Navi Pillay, former head of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Palestine, confirmed that Israel deliberately targeted Gaza’s largest fertility clinic in December 2023, killing 4,000 embryos in a single strike, a direct attack aimed at preventing Palestinian births.
In an interview with The Guardian, Pillay said Israeli forces intentionally struck the Al-Basma IVF Center, firing directly at the nitrogen storage units that preserved the embryos, destroying them instantly. The clinic was located in a standalone facility separate from the main hospital buildings, making the strike both targeted and deliberate.
Pillay explained that this was not an isolated incident but one example among countless documented cases that led the UN Commission to conclude that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, including targeting health systems, maternity services, and children.
She stressed that international law explicitly prohibits genocide and that refusing to act to stop it constitutes complicity. “When there is clear evidence of genocide, silence is participation,” she warned.
Pillay noted that Israel’s assault on Gaza has been carried out in full view of the world, saying: “This is a genocide unfolding in real time, broadcast to the entire global public.” She compared it to the 1994 Tutsi genocide, referencing dehumanizing language used by Israeli officials who referred to Palestinians as “human animals.”
