A missile struck a childrens hospital in Kyiv on Monday during the heaviest Russian bombardment on Ukraine in months, which stretched across five regions and reportedly killed some forty people.

Kyiv and its western allies are saying the childrens hospital was hit by Russia, while Moscow says the hospital was hit by a Ukrainian air defence missile during Russias attack. All thats clear as of this writing is that the hospital was bombed either as a direct or indirect result of the Russian missile strikes, and that western leaders are responding very, very differently to this news than they have been to deliberate Israeli attacks on hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip.

Russias missile strikes that today killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians and caused damage and casualties at Kyivs largest childrens hospital are a horrific reminder of Russias brutality, tweeted whoever runs the US presidents Twitter account, adding, It is critical that the world continues to stand with Ukraine at this important moment and that we not ignore Russian aggression.

Attacking innocent children. The most depraved of actions. We stand with Ukraine against Russian aggressionour support wont falter, tweeted the UKs new prime minister Keir Starmer.

This is abhorrent. Striking a childrens hospitaland the innocent children insidecannot be justified, tweeted Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, adding, My heart goes out to the families who are grievingand Canadas commitment to Ukraine remains as strong as ever.

Russias missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities, including a Kyiv childrens hospital are abhorrent, echoed Australian foreign minister Penny Wong as though responding to some kind of memo. We condemn the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. Australia continues to support the people of Ukraine in the face of Russias illegal, immoral war.

Contrast this firm and unequivocal statement from Wong with her mealy-mouthed, passive-language statement about Israels deliberate systematic destruction of Gazas healthcare system:

Hospitals, patients, medical and humanitarian staff must be protected. Australia is deeply concerned by attacks in and around hospitals in Gaza, including an Indonesian-funded hospital in northern Gaza and a Jordanian field hospital.

And thats about as strong a criticism as youll see from western officials regarding Israels relentless assault on Palestinian hospitals. Most havent had anything to say at all.

Since October 7 there have been hundreds of documented IDF attacks on Gazas healthcare system, which according to the UN has been mostly destroyed by this onslaught.

Oxford University professor Nick Maynard has accused the IDF of systematically targeting healthcare facilities, healthcare personnel and really dismantling the whole healthcare system in Gaza after spending time working there during Israels bombardment of the enclave.

According to a new report published in The Lancet medical journal, indirect deaths ensuing from Israels assault on Gaza by things like disease and inability to access healthcare services will likely wind up being many times greater than the direct deaths caused by mass military violence, saying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths for every one reported official death would wind up putting the grand total death toll at around 186,000. And thats with an official direct death toll that is definitely a huge undercount.

Where was all the outrage about all this? Where were all the statements from western officials about how abhorrent it is to attack those hospitals? Where were all the western news media headlines explicitly naming Israel as the perpetrator of those attacks, like theyve been doing with Russia? Nowhere to be found.

This is because western empire managers do not actually believe that there is anything abhorrent or horrific about attacking a hospitalat least not one which provides services to Palestinians or other populations who are not favoured by the western empire.

This has nothing to do with concern for human lives and wellbeing. They just want to manufacture more consent for continuing their proxy war in Ukraine.

Republished from Caitlin Johnstone from Caitlins Newsletter, July 9, 2024