Lebanon: Israeli attacks on health facilities, ambulances and paramedics must be examined as war crimes

The repeated illegal attacks by the Israeli military during the war war in Lebanon about health facilities, ambulances and health workers who are protected under international law must be examined as war crimes today, said Amnesty International.

The Lebanese government should provide the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and criminal prosecution within the Rome Act committed in Lebanese and to ensure the right of the victims to legal remedies, including Israel, to enable reparation for serious violations of humanitarian legal law.

In the results published today, Amnesty International presents the results of his studies on four Israeli attacks on health facilities and vehicles in Beirut and in the South Libanon between 3rd and 9th October 2024, in which 19 health workers in October 2024 were wounded and destroyed more than 11 other facilities in the healthcare system.

During the war in Lebanon in 2024, the Israeli military repeatedly attacked health facilities and medical vehicles. The Israeli military has not submitted sufficient reasons or specific evidence that military goals are available at the strike locations in order to take these repeated attacks into account that weakens and endangered a fragile health system.

“Israel's illegal attacks on medical institutions and personnel are not only serious violations of the humanitarian law of international and probably war crimes, but also have devastating consequences for civilians. With the support of the international community, we are calling for the Lebanon government to ensure that alleged perpetrators can be held accountable for war crimes. The new Lebanese government must be granted international criminal jurisdiction for all statue statue crimes in Rome or committed from its territory, ”said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, said Amnesty International.

“Israel's illegal attacks on medical facilities and personnel are not only serious violations of the humanitarian law on humanitarian law and the likely war crimes

The Lebanon urgently must enter the ICC Rome Act and submit an explanation that gives jurisdiction from 2002. In the meantime, the Lebanon should submit an ad hoc declaration in which the exercise of the Court of Justice of the ICC was condemned from Lebanese from the territory in relation to all Rome court complaints obliged to the country.

The Israeli military repeatedly accused the Hisbollah of using ambulances for transporting fighters and weapons and using medical centers associated with the Islamic Health Association (IHA) as “cover for terrorist activities”. In the four attacks examined, however, Amnesty International found no evidence that the facilities or vehicles were used for military purposes at the time of attacks.

“When a health system is attacked, civilians suffer. Even if hospitals are used for military purposes and lose their protected status under international law, they can only be attacked after a warning that gives enough time for the evacuation of patients and the personnel that is ignored. An attacking party remains bound at all times according to the principle of proportionality and weighs the concrete and direct military advantage, which is expected from an attack against the expected damage to civilians and civilian objects, including the contradictory humanitarian consequences that arise from the attack, ”said Erika Guevara Rosas.

Amnesty International interviewed 17 people, including medical workers, witnesses to the attacks, local officials and family members of the victims. The researchers also visited the location of the attack on the IHA Center in Bachoura, Beirut. In addition, Amnesty International verified 46 photos and videos from the attacks directly with the organization or published in the media and on social media. Amnesty International wrote to the Israeli military with its results on November 11, 2024, but had not received an answer at the time of publication.

Medical staff, hospitals and other medical facilities are protected under international humanitarian law. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), people who only have non -combination functions in armed groups or only have members of political units with an armed component such as the HISBOLLAH or are connected with political units may not have attacked, unless they take part in hostility directly for the time in which they directly take part. The medical staff connected to the Hezbollah, including those who have been assigned civilian defense organizations and are assigned exclusively medical or humanitarian duties, are protected from attacks.

A ceasefire was announced in Lebanon at the end of November 2024. At the beginning of 2025, the health employees affected by the four Israeli attacks stated that they would do their best to care for care, while they are still dealing with damaged or destroyed institutions and vehicles and the loss of their colleagues. A member of the civil protection, the center of which was destroyed in an Israeli attack, said the team is now working from the house of a local villager, of whom he said that they “temporarily offered us … until we find and move a new area scheme”.

“It is important that all attacks against medical personnel and institutions are examined to ensure that perpetrators are punished, the victims receive reparation and these crimes are never repeated” – Erika Guevara Rosas

“It is crucial that all attacks against medical personnel and institutions are examined to ensure that perpetrators punish, receive victims and these crimes are never repeated. A ceasefire is only the first step to end and prevent damage. In order to go forward, victims of serious violations of all parties have to see justice and receive an appeal, ”said Erika Guevara Rosas.

Before Israel started his Operation Northern Arrows on September 23, 2024, Amnesty International had checked between 80 photos and videos of 11 attacks, which affected medical crews and facilities in Lebanon between October 8, 2023 and June 24, 2024.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the Israeli military attacked 67 hospitals, 56 primary health centers and 238 emergency teams between October 2023 and November 2024, which killed at least 222 medical and emergency aid devices.

According to the World Health Organization, November 21, 2024, “47% of the attacks on health care – 65 out of 137 – proved to be fatal for at least one health worker or patient in Lebanon”.

The Lebanese health sector already burdened the explosion of Beirut-Port in 2020, followed by several, persistent and composed crises, including a massive economic crisis, which was spiraled at the end of 2019, while the country tried to recover from the effects of the outbreak of Covid-19.

On November 27th, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 60-day armistice. Numerous violations of the ceasefire business were reported within a few days. On January 27, the armistice was extended by a few more weeks. Israel later announced that it would stay in a series of positions in the Lebanese territory.

Amnesty International has also documented evidence of illegal air raids that killed and injured civilians. In a briefing published in December 2024, Amnesty International documented four air strikes of Israeli forces throughout Lebanon, in which at least 49 civilians were killed and entire families were killed and who have to be examined as war crimes.

During the war, the Hisbollah repeatedly fired unsettled rocket salvos in Northern Israel, including the implementation of attacks that killed and injured civilians. In some cases, they insisted that they aimed at military goals, in other cases they stated the civil city or city in general.