On october 4, 2024, Marjayoun governmental hospital and the Salah Ghandour hospital in Bint Jbeil, large healthcare centres along the eastern and western sections of the Lebanese borders, announced their closure after their premises were struck, killing seven and wounding 14 healthcare workers.

• “The main hospital of the entrance was targeted as paramedics were approaching. Seven were killed, five were wounded. We considered this a message, so we decided to close,” said Dr Mones Kalakish, the director of Marjayoun governmental hospital.
• because of the frequent targeting of paramedics in south Lebanon, wounded people had not been able to reach the hospital for the past three days.
• “There was no warning to the hospital before they struck. The warning didn’t come over the telephone, it came via bombing,” Kalakish said.

The Gardian article

The ongoing escalation and the widespread casualties resulting from the Israeli airstrikes across various regions of Lebanon, affecting both civilians and military personnel.

On september 27

• All 11 members of the medical unit in the town of al-Taybeh in South Lebanon have been martyred. The center director, the on-call doctor, the nurses, and the paramedics. Israel airstrike murdered an entire team of medical personnel in this center.A number of paramedics were wounded when 3 civil defense centers in the “Islamic Health Authority” were targeted in the towns of Taybeh and Deir Siryan (Marjeyoun District) in southern Lebanon.

On September 29, The Lebanese health ministry reported that 14 paramedics were killed in two days of Israeli airstrikes. These strikes hit various regions including Lebanon’s eastern and southern areas, and parts of Beirut, specifically targeting Hezbollah leadership.

On September 30:

• Seven paramedics from the Al-Risala Scouts were injured in an IOF airstrike targeting Kafra in southern Lebanon.
• Additionally, one paramedic is still missing, trapped under the rubble.
• Casualties in Western Bekaa: Six people were martyred in an Israeli airstrike on Islamic Health Authority centers in Sohmor, located in the Western Bekaa region.
• Southern Lebanon Attacks: Civil defense teams are working to clear rubble from homes in Western and Eastern Zawtar, searching for missing individuals after these areas were also bombarded.

On october 3: Using white phosphorus, a weapon that is prohibited worldwide, the Israeli army attacked the Al-Bashoura region on 3 October under the pretext of targeting Hezbollah members. They killed seven paramedics from the Islamic Health Authority in their civil defense center after directly targeting them and injuring otherhttps://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6500

On October 13 @RedCrossLebanon said its paramedics were hit by a strike on Sunday while attending the site of an earlier attack in south #Lebanon, leaving them lightly injured A Lebanese Red Cross ambulance team was dispatched **to Sirbin **following an initial air strike on a house. While searching for casualties, the house was hit a second time, causing concussions to the volunteers and damage to two ambulances. The Red Cross teams were working in coordination with UN peacekeepers during their rescue mission. Jagan Chapagain, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), reiterated the need to respect the Red Cross emblem under International Humanitarian Law.

Health Ministry Condemnation: Lebanon’s health ministry strongly condemned the attacks on medical personnel and facilities, stating that paramedics are non-combatants and should be protected. It emphasized that Israel’s actions violate international laws, particularly the Geneva Convention, which ensures the neutrality of health workers and medical centers in conflict zones. He also accused Israel of perpetrating escalating violence and questioned the international community’s failure to stop what it described as "genocide."

Context

These targeted attacks on the healthcare system are increased since Israeli Airstrikes Intensified: The air raids targeted both civilian infrastructure and Hezbollah-linked areas. The US-made bunker-buster bombs, used by Israeli forces, are specifically designed to destroy reinforced structures. These were deployed in the operation to target Hezbollah's leadership in southern Beirut, resulting in the deaths of Nasrallah and several associates.

Displacement Crisis: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared that Israel's attacks have caused the largest wave of displacement in Lebanon's history, with up to 1 million people forced to flee their homes.

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Previous attacks on Lebanese health care system :

On March 27, 16 civilians, including the 10 paramedics, were killed in three separate Israeli air raids, marking the highest single-day civilian death toll in nearly six months of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

• In Habariyeh, seven paramedics from the Lebanese Ambulance Association were killed when Israel targeted a medical center and an ambulance, severely impacting emergency services.
• In Tair Harfa, two paramedics from Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Society were killed while responding to an earlier airstrike.
• In Naqoura, a third medic from the Amal movement was killed at a cafe while on his way to assist in Tair Harfa.

On September 8, an Israeli drone strike in Froun, southern Lebanon, reportedly has killed four members of Lebanon’s Civil Defense. Israel’s military targeted them while they were putting out fires caused by Israeli bombardments.

Since October 2023 to September 8, Israely Army bombings have killed 27 paramedics and health workers and wounded 94 others in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Additionally, Israel has targeted two hospitals and 21 health centers, and has damaged or destroyed 32 ambulances and firetrucks.

Source : https://www.arabnews.com/node/2575115/middle-east