The Israeli military repeatedly attacked healthcare facilities, ambulances, medics and civil defense workers in Lebanon, which are afforded specific protection under international law.
Amnesty International investigated four Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities and medical vehicles that killed 19 healthcare workers and wounded 11 more in a one-week period between October 3-9, 2024. The attacks should be investigated as war crimes.
The Israeli military repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using ambulances to transport fighters and weapons, and of using the Islamic Health Association (IHA) as a “cover for terrorist activities.” However, Amnesty International did not find evidence the facilities or vehicles that were damaged or destroyed were being used for military purposes at the time of the four attacks.
The Israeli military has not provided sufficient justifications, or specific evidence of military targets being present at strike locations, to account for their repeated attacks on healthcare facilities and medical vehicles in Lebanon, which have weakened a fragile healthcare system and put more lives at risk. Between October 8, 2023, and late November 2024, at least 222 medical and civil defense personnel had been killed and hundreds more wounded in Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
The Israeli military attacked medical facilities and personnel tied to the Lebanese government as well as non-governmental health organizations, including those affiliated with political parties. Most attacks struck the IHA, a civilian institution affiliated with Hezbollah that provides medical and emergency services across Lebanon, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Islamic Risala Scout Association. The IHA is the main rescue and emergency service and healthcare provider in Beirut’s southern suburbs and in areas of the south and Bekaa and Hermel, which were repeatedly attacked by Israel.
Deliberate attacks on healthcare facilities and civil defense centers and on their personnel exclusively assigned to medical and humanitarian duties are prohibited. Such attacks should be investigated as war crimes.