Systematic attack on the Lebanese health workers and health care building

During the brief period from March 2 to April 14, 2026, alone, the World Health Organization has verified the killing of 88 health workers in Lebanon in Israeli attacks.This weaponization of health care, in violation of international humanitarian law, is systematic with attacks on hospitals, ambulances, and health workers becoming a habitual feature of contemporary warfare. However, Israel has presented these attacks as compatible with international law, under the pretext that enemy combatants were embedded within medical facilities, a narrative designed to manufacture public consent for destroying health care systems.

On March 13, 2026, amid Israeli preparations for a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, an airstrike killed two paramedics at a health facility in Al Sowana (Marjayoun District). That same night, Israeli bombardments destroyed the primary health care center in Burj Qalawiya (Bint Jbeil District), one of the few still operating in the area. Nearly all staff present in the center (12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses) were killed in the strikes.

On March 14, 2026, an official statement by the Israeli army spokesperson declared that Israel “will act in accordance with international law against Hezbollah’s military activity using these facilities and ambulances,” although independent investigations have consistently refuted claims about Hezbollah using health care infrastructure for military purposes

On the weekend of March 28-29, 10 health workers were killed in a 24-hour period by Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to the Lebanese government and the World Health Organization. Lebanon's current minister of public health, Rakan Nassereddine, said he has initiated the process of filing a complaint to the U.N. Security Council.