Israeli attacks against medical personnel and facilities in Lebanon: A violation of International Humanitarian Law

Authors

  • Sarah Nasrallah The Lebanese Center for Human Rights. Correspondence to: snasrallah@cldh-lebanon.org
  • Fadel Fakih The Lebanese Center for Human Rights.
  • Anthony Hanna The Lebanese Center for Human Rights
  • Hasna Abdel Reda The Lebanese Center for Human Rights

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v35i2.156178

Keywords:

Israel, Human Rights violations, Potential war crimes, international humanitarian law, Geneva conventions, war crimes, Lebanon, medical neutrality

Abstract

Introduction. This article examines the violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) concerning Israeli attacks on medical personnel and facilities in Lebanon between September 23rd and October 23rd, 2024.

Methods. Based on data from the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH), the study highlights attacks on medical units, personnel, and humanitarian organisations.

Results. The study documents more than 250 attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel, paramedics and patients.

Discussion. The results are compared with available data from the World Health Organisation, the Ministry of Public Health and INGOs.

Conclusions. The findings indicate severe and repeated breaches of IHL, particularly under the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols. This study emphasises the urgent need for accountability and the enforcement of international legal frameworks to safeguard medical neutrality in conflict zones.

References

Al Jazeera. (2024). Mapping Israeli Attacks on Lebanon’s Healthcare System. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/17/ mapping-israeli-attacks-on-lebanons-healthcare-system Amnesty International. (2025, March 4). Lebanon: Israeli attacks on health facilities, ambulances, and paramedics must be investigated as war crimes. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ news/2025/03/lebanon-israeli-attacks-on-health-facilitiesambulances-and-paramedics-must-be-investigated-as-warcrimes/ CNN. (2024). Analysis of Israeli Airstrikes on Lebanese Medical Facilities. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/02/middleeast/ israel-airstrikes-lebanon-hospitals-intl-invs/index.html CLDH. (2024). Israeli attacks against medical personnel and facilities in Lebanon. Lebanese Center for Human Rights. Human Rights Watch. (2024). Lebanon: Israeli Attacks on Medics Apparent War Crimes. https://www.hrw.org/ news/2024/10/30/lebanon-israeli-attacks-medics-apparent-warcrimes International Committee of the Red Cross. (2024). Customary IHL and Geneva Conventions. Retrieved from https://www.icrc.org International Criminal Court. (2024). Rome Statute and War Crimes. Retrieved from https://www.icc-cpi.int Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. (2025). Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s health sector. https://www.moph.gov.lb/userfiles/ files/News/30-1-2025%20Cumulative%20Report%20on%20 Enemy%20Attacks/Israeli%20Attacks%20on%20Lebanon’s%20 Health%20Sector-compressed-english.pdf United Nations. (2024). Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. Retrieved from https://www.un.org World Health Organization. (2024, November 21). Lebanon: A conflict particularly destructive to health care. https:// www.who.int/news/item/22-11-2024-lebanon--a-conflictparticularly-destructive-to-health-care World Health Organization. (2024, October 15). Attacks on hospitals and health workers jeopardize provision of health in Lebanon. https://www.who.int/news/item/16-10-2024-attackson-hospitals-and-health-workers-jeopardize-provision-of-healthin-lebanon O’Dowd, A. (2024, October 17). Dozens of health workers and patients were killed in past month, says WHO. BMJ, 387, q2275. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q2275 World Health Organization. (2024, November 18). Health attacks monitoring system data on Lebanon. [Data report]. WHO. (cited in various official releases)

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Published

2025-10-15

How to Cite

Nasrallah, S., Fakih, F., Hanna, A., & Abdel Reda, H. (2025). Israeli attacks against medical personnel and facilities in Lebanon: A violation of International Humanitarian Law. Torture Journal, 35(2-3), 168–173. https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v35i2.156178

Issue

Vol. 35 No. 2-3 (2025): Torture Journal: Journal on Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and Prevention of Torture

Section

SPECIAL SECTION ON ISRAEL & OCCUPIED PALESTINE

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