The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a statement condemning the trend of Israeli forces deliberately targeting Lebanese health care workers in the ongoing war against southern Lebanon, calling it a “tragic development” in the escalating crisis.
A late Friday attack on a hospital in the border village of Burj Qalawiyeh left at least 17 medical staff dead and a number of others wounded. This was one of the most flagrant incidents, but is part of a growing trend, with the Lebanese Health Ministry reporting that 37 distinct Israeli strikes on health care workers in the country had left at least 31 workers killed and 51 others wounded.
The Israeli narrative is, as ever, “Hezbollah.” Though they offered no evidence to support the assertion, the IDF is claiming that Hezbollah is in some way using ambulances for military operations in resistance of the ongoing Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon.
Aftermath of bombing on health center in Burj Qalawiyeh | Image from Reuters
IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee threatened to see Israel act “in accordance with international law,” by which he meant attacking ambulances and killing health care workers. The threats, of course, are largely just narrative because Israel already was attacking ambulances and killing healthcare workers, and is just trying to manufacture a pretext whereby it isn’t a gross violation of international law.
Though no evidence is available of Hezbollah using ambulances to carry out military attacks, there is actually substantial evidence of the IDF using ambulances themselves to carry out ground raids against Hezbollah, with a large raid against Hezbollah in Nabi Chit involving IDF commandos in Lebanese ambulances.
Attacking ambulances and killing health care workers is, of course, illegal under international humanitarian law. Though there are some situations whereby specific ambulances can lose protected status, the blanket targeting of an entire nations ambulance stock on the notion that some of them might secretly be in league with Hezbollah is plainly not allowed. Moreover, the use of ambulances to disguise military forces, as Israel specifically did in Nabi Chit, is itself a violation of international law.
Since Israel resumed their war on Lebanon earlier this month, some 850 people have been killed and over 2,100 others wounded. The constantly Israeli attacks across Lebanon have meant ambulances are out in force trying to rescue the wounded. This is likely only to become a bigger problem, and the IDF narrative suggests that those ambulances are very much in the line of fire.
