Israel’s attack on doctors in southern Lebanon is part of an ‘alarming pattern,’ MSF says
The international organization Doctors Without Borders says Tuesday’s drone strike that killed two paramedics and wounded another in southern Lebanon is part of an “appalling pattern” of Israeli attacks on rescue groups.
Tuesday, the paramedics, who are part of the rescue team of the Lebanese Civil Defense, left Al Najdeh Al-Shaabiyeh Hospital in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh to respond to the imminent strike. The drone strike hit first responders while they were helping someone injured in the previous strike, killing two of them instantly, according to t.non-governmental organization (NGO), also known by its French name, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
“We are outraged by the killing of emergency workers who were just doing their job, taking great risks to save lives,” said MSF’s Head of Mission in Lebanon, Jeremy Ristord.
“Attacks on health are unacceptable and should not be normalized.”
Another team of rescuers witnessed the strike through their colleagues and returned to the area to retrieve human remains, said the NGO.
A large crowd of mourners filled the streets of Sidon on Wednesday to mourn the loss of two paramedics – Hussein Jaber and Ahmad Noura.
In a statement sent by CBC News on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it attacked a “terrorist” in the area of Mayfadoun in southern Lebanon, about five kilometers from Nabatieh. It says it is aware of reports that “unaffiliated people” have been injured in the area.
“The objectives of the strike were not achieved in the first strike, therefore, the terrorists were struck again to eliminate the threat,” it said without providing further evidence.
“It must be emphasized that the strike was aimed only at terrorists, not at rescue workers.”
Rescue delayed due to accident
MSF said its teams have seen the deadly effects of airstrikes, drone strikes and artillery fire, which have damaged hospitals, ambulances and medical equipment.
The attack also injured civilians, health workers and first responders.
Since the war between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, at least 110 health workers have been killed and 252 wounded in Israeli attacks, including Tuesday’s attack, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
CBC News previously reported Ambulance workers in Lebanon say that recording the attacks on their groups was crucial to the operation as evidence against Israeli allegations that they are abusing their status to help Hezbollah.
Lebanese ambulance workers say their video of a series of strikes that killed four paramedics is clear evidence against Israel’s claim that Lebanese medical teams are abusing their status to help Hezbollah. CBC’s Chris Brown talks to members of the Nabatieh Ambulance Service who say their cameras are insurance.
Dr Mina Naguib, a British paramedic with MSF, said paramedics in southern Lebanon are facing increasing risks in responding to calls, often having to coordinate access to Israel in areas controlled or targeted by Israeli forces.
“We know clearly that Israel is targeting and killing paramedicss,” Dr. Naguib told CBC News from south of Lebanon in a previous interview on Friday.
“Outside [permission from Israel],thhey, don’t go because it’s not just an accident them, but also, if you become a victim, you actually put more pressure on the system.”
The IDF previously told CBC that it “does not target medical personnel, it only targets military targets, in accordance with international law.”
MSF said rescue and medical teams in Nabatieh and southern Lebanon are increasingly being forced to delay or reduce life-saving interventions for fear of being targeted.
“Ambulance workers supported by the MSF report spend only a few minutes in explosive areas due to the risk of repeated strikes, avoiding the use of excavators, and delaying evacuation, leaving some people trapped under the rubble for hours or days,” said a press release on Thursday.
Its doctors have treated patients whose conditions worsened as a result of the delay, including severe trauma cases who later died of their injuries, MSF said.
Over 160 attacks on medical facilities, staff
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it recorded 161 attacks on health facilities and workers between March 2 and May 12.
“This includes 15 attacks that resulted in 12 deaths and 21 injuries after the ceasefire call began,” MSF said.
The ceasefire, it said, “has not led to an end to the conflict and has not allowed the homeless to return to their homes or the people trapped in the most targeted areas to seek safety.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese health authorities said 22 people died in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including eight children.
The latest attack comes ahead of the third round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbors who have been at war since Israel’s creation in 1948. Hezbollah has rejected those talks and is not part of them.
The ceasefire, which was announced on April 16, will expire on Sunday.
The enemy has been stuck in southern Lebanon since then but regular Israeli strikes have continued despite the agreement.
Israel’s military said an explosive device launched by Hezbollah on Thursday fell into Israeli territory near the border, wounding dozens of Israeli civilians.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says the war has killed 2,896 people in Lebanon since March 2, including 589 women, children and doctors. Its number does not indicate how many soldiers were killed.
About 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes in Lebanon, many of them fleeing to the south.
Israel says 17 of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, and two civilians in northern Israel.
