GENEVA: Nearly 230 health workers have lost their lives in Lebanon since the escalation of Israel’s war in Gaza, triggered by the October 7 attacks last year, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
As per the WHO, during the over 13-month period from October 2023 to November 2024, 187 attacks on healthcare facilities were recorded during cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, resulting in 226 deaths and 199 injuries.
WHO representative in Lebanon Abdinasir Abubakar It says almost 70pc of the incidents occurred after the conflict intensified in September.
Describing the situation as an extremely worrying pattern, Abubakar condemned the targeting of healthcare providers as a violation of international humanitarian law.
He said that 47 of healthcare-related attacks in Lebanon during this period resulted in fatalities—significantly higher than the global average of 13.3pc, based on data from other conflict zones like Ukraine, Sudan, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
A key factor contributing to the high death toll is the targeting of ambulances, which often leads to the loss of multiple paramedics at once. The ongoing violence has also severely impacted Lebanon’s already fragile healthcare system, leaving 15 of its 153 hospitals either closed or partially operational.
Hanan Balkhy, WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, warned that “attacks on healthcare cripple a system when it’s needed most.” He added that the deaths of health workers represent not only a tragic loss of life but also the erosion of years of investment in Lebanon’s healthcare infrastructure.