Israel deliberately targeting medical facilities in south Lebanon, say health workers

Lebanese healthcare workers and officials say Israeli bombings have deliberately targeted medical workers and facilities in south Lebanon, including through the use of double-tap strikes, in what they describe as a systematic effort to make the area unlivable.

Since the war began on 2 March, Israel has struck at least 128 medical facilities and ambulances across south Lebanon, killing 40 healthcare workers and wounding 107, according to the Lebanese ministry of health. The war started when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, triggering an Israeli military campaign.

Most of the strikes on medics happened while they were sitting in ambulances or at first aid centres, several of which have been destroyed in south Lebanon. Israel has also carried out at least five double-tap strikes, a tactic in which an initial strike is followed by a pause, allowing medical workers to arrive before the area is bombed for a second time.

Medical workers and hospitals are protected under international law and deliberately targeting them could constitute a war crime. Amnesty International said on Thursday that, regardless of political affiliation, medical workers are considered civilians and targeting them is unlawful.

The Guardian conducted interviews with nine medical workers, including eyewitnesses of Israeli strikes on three separate medical facilities, visited three destroyed medical centres in the Nabatieh and Tyre governorates and inspected two damaged ambulances. None of the sites showed evidence of military use.

The Israeli military accused Hezbollah of using ambulances for military purposes last week, saying it would “act in accordance with international law” if the practice continued. The Israeli army made the same accusation in 2024; it has not provided any evidence or proof for its claims. The Lebanese ministry of health condemned the accusation, calling it an attempt to provide justification for war crimes.

The Israeli military did not respond to a request for a comment on the specific strikes at the medical centres visited by the Guardian, nor on the allegations that it deliberately struck medical workers or employed double-tap strikes.