Israel's War on Lebanon's Health Sector: 49 Centers Out of Service

Image via X

By Rajana Hamieh, Al-Akhbar

Since the start of the current escalation on Lebanon, Israeli strikes have systematically targeted hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and emergency facilities and vehicles. These attacks are justified with the same unfounded accusations usually presented by the occupation army, most recently in Gaza, regarding emergency centers and ambulances being used for so-called “military purposes”.

Meanwhile, the death toll among paramedics and doctors continues to rise. According to Mahmoud Kurki, media officer for Civil Defense at the Islamic Health Authority, Israel killed 35 paramedics to date, 30 martyrs are from the Islamic Health Authority, three from the Islamic Message Association, and two from the Lebanese Red Cross. "We are still working to retrieve colleagues from under the rubble following the raid on the emergency center in Bir al-Salasil", Kurki adds. Israel has also killed five doctors and nurses.

During 66 days of shelling in the 2024 war, 69 health centers were destroyed or closed. This time, 49 centers have been put out of service in just two weeks, with attacks increasing in recent days, particularly in the south and the Bekaa. This escalation, according to Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine, outlines the path of a "systematic war on the health sector."

According to Randa Hamadeh, head of the Primary Healthcare Centers Department at the Ministry of Health, the danger of targeting primary healthcare centers lies in their function as alternative hospitals. These centers are directly linked to shelters, providing health services to the displaced wherever they are. Approximately 190 health centers serve around 600 shelters. Hamadeh describes these centers as a "safety valve for society," adding that "the continued operation of the centers encourages people to remain present and steadfast which is what the enemy does not want.”

With centers under attack, the Directorate of Primary Healthcare has activated mobile units as alternatives. Still, they have not been spared. "The enemy has begun pursuing mobile units as well," Hamadeh says, "continuing to provide services is becoming more challenging."

This work is shared under a Creative Commons 4.0 license