Medical center reduced to rubble with staff trapped inside, Israel is re-enacting the Gaza playbook in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli strike tragically killed 12 healthcare workers in a medical center in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of medical staff killed in the country by Israel to 31 over the past 12 days. This alarming incident occurred when a primary healthcare facility in the town of Burj Qalaouiyah was hit, setting it ablaze and causing the structure to collapse on top of the staff who were on duty, as reported by The Guardian. Doctors, paramedics, and nurses were among those killed.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health quickly condemned the attack, stating that it “violated all international humanitarian laws.” This latest strike adds to a grim tally of casualties, following an earlier attack that killed two paramedics at a health facility in Al Sowana. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, remarked that “the killings in the last 24 hours of 14 health workers in southern Lebanon mark a tragic development in the escalating Middle East crisis.”

Lebanese authorities have reported that Israel has carried out at least 37 attacks against healthcare workers and facilities in Lebanon, including those belonging to the state civil defense and the Lebanese Red Cross, since the current hostilities began. Human rights groups are clear that any attacks on medical workers, regardless of their political affiliation, constitute a war crime.

Under international humanitarian law, medical workers are considered civilians and are afforded protected status

The conflict in Lebanon began after Hezbollah launched a volley of rockets at Israel, triggering a swift and extensive Israeli bombing campaign across the country. Fighting has since escalated, with Hezbollah continuing its rocket fire and Israeli troops invading southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reports that at least 826 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes, and approximately 1 million people have been displaced from their homes.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee accused Hezbollah of using ambulances and medical facilities for military purposes. He stated that Israeli forces would “act in accordance with international law” if Hezbollah did not cease these activities. However, the spokesperson did not provide any credible evidence to support his claims. The Lebanese Ministry of Health vehemently denied the Israeli army’s accusations, calling them “nothing more than a justification for the crimes it is committing against humanity.”

This isn’t the first time such accusations have been made. During the 13-month Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, Israel also accused Hezbollah of using ambulances for military purposes, again without presenting credible evidence. That earlier conflict tragically resulted in the deaths of 408 healthcare workers.

Similarly, Israel faced accusations of war crimes from a UN commission of inquiry for its attacks on Gaza’s healthcare facilities during its two-year war on the strip. A top prosecutor at the international criminal court stated in 2024 that claims about the presence of Hamas fighters in hospitals in Gaza, which were under siege by Israel’s military, had been “grossly exaggerated.” Gaza’s healthcare system has been largely destroyed by sustained Israeli attacks.

Humanitarian groups are now expressing serious concerns that the Israeli military’s current accusation that Hezbollah is using healthcare centers for military purposes could unfortunately be used as a justification for further attacks on such critical facilities in Lebanon.