The Lebanon Humanitarian and Development NGOs Forum (LHDF) Urgent Condemnation of Israeli Targeted Attacks on Healthcare System and Humanitarian Personnel in Lebanon
The Lebanon Humanitarian and Development NGOs Forum (LHDF) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the deliberate and repeated attacks by Israel on healthcare staff, emergency responders, and medical infrastructure across Lebanon. The Forum urges all parties to refrain from undermining the humanitarian mission of healthcare providers, avoid impeding their access, and desist from any actions that would endanger or directly target medical practitioners and health workers, who must be allowed to carry out their life-saving duties without threat or interference. These attacks, which endanger both health workers and civilians in general, are a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law under the Fourth Geneva Convention and Additional Protocol I of 1977.
The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH), a member organization of the LHDF, has documented several attacks against medical facilities and health workers as follows:
○ On 5 October 2024, an Israeli airstrike directly targeted Ghandour Hospital, injuring 9 medical personnel. Ablah Hospital and Fakih Hospital were also damaged in subsequent airstrikes in Ablah and Loubya villages.
○ On 3 October 2024, Lebanese Red Cross personnel were injured in Taibeh (3 October), and a Lebanese Red Cross paramedic was killed in an Israeli attack on Al Ayn (5 October).
○ WHO has confirmed 23 attacks on healthcare personnel and facilities in Lebanon, resulting in 72 deaths and 43 injuries.
○ Civil defense workers were also directly targeted, with 10 firefighters killed in Baraachit on 9 October, and 5 members killed in Tyre on 9 October.
○ In total, 167 first responders have been killed or wounded during Israeli airstrikes, including several Civil Defense and relief workers from organizations such as Terre des hommes - Lebanon. This systematic pattern of targeting health workers and medical facilities, including those who provide emergency care in conflict-affected areas, is a violation of the IHL and undermines the ability of Lebanon’s healthcare system to operate effectively in an already dire humanitarian context. The documented attacks on hospitals, ambulances, fire stations, and primary healthcare centers have forced many medical facilities to close or operate at reduced capacity, worsening the public HRW health crisis. Key services, such as antenatal care and chronic disease treatment, are disrupted, increasing the risks of preventable deaths and the spread of infectious diseases. Attacks and the undermining of healthcare workers and medical facilities have impacts that go beyond the physical destruction of healthcare infrastructure; they affect the resilience of Lebanon's communities and undermine their capacity to cope with the ongoing crisis. LHDF demands the following immediate actions:
1. Accountability: Hold all parties to the conflict accountable for violations of international law and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
2. Protection of Medical Units: Uphold the neutrality of medical services and allow them to operate safely and without interference, ensuring medical care reaches all who need it. Healthcare units, personnel, and medical transport are strictly protected and must remain neutral in all conflicts. According to the Geneva Conventions, medical facilities and emergency responders cannot be targeted or used for military purposes, and any misuse that strips them of this protection, such as transporting ammunition or fighters, with the exception of those hors de combat, requires a prior warning from the attacking force. Parties to a conflict must distinguish between civilians and combatants, with deliberate harm to civilians and medical units constituting a serious breach of IHL, prosecutable as war crimes.
3. International Support: Mobilize international support to provide urgent resources to Lebanon’s healthcare system, which is now at breaking point, to treat the displaced, injured, and chronically ill. LHDF will continue to amplify the voices of courageous healthcare and emergency workers who, despite being targeted, remain committed to saving lives. This information is based on data and verification provided by the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) and underscores a severe humanitarian crisis that must be addressed with urgency and justice.
HRW
