هذه المقالة متاحة أيضًا بـ: العربية (Arabic)
Amid the escalating brutal Israeli aggression on Lebanese territories, the National Human Rights Commission continues to monitor and document the grave violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Lebanese civilians. This is particularly relevant in regard to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, especially the Third Additional Protocol adopted in December 2005, which aims to enhance the protection of victims, civilians, and humanitarian workers. It also seeks to prevent the illegal use of the Red Cross, Red Crescent, and Red Crystal emblems, and to safeguard individuals and facilities bearing these emblems, ensuring that humanitarian, relief, and ambulance assistance can reach affected areas without obstruction and that they are not targeted or exploited for military purposes.
The National Human Rights Commission in Lebanon has recorded severe violations of international humanitarian law by Israeli occupation forces, including the excessive and systematic use of force against civilians and public and private property. These actions demonstrate a disregard for the principle of proportionality and the prohibition of collective punishment. Among the violations is the targeting of healthcare, rescue, and humanitarian workers, particularly those affiliated with legally registered non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Lebanese Red Cross, Al-Resala Scouts Association, the Islamic Health Organization’s Civil Defense, the Popular Rescue Brigade, the Al-Resala Health Ambulance Association, the Shifaa Medical and Humanitarian Services Association, the Palestinian Civil Defense Fire Brigades, the Humanitarian Appeal Association, the Lebanese Ambulance Association, the Arab Scout Civil Defense Brigade (affiliated with the Martyr Ma’rouf Saad Foundation), the Social Front Ambulance, Alfa Association, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the Islamic Medical Association, and many other organizations. These groups have civilian teams specializing in firefighting, civil defense, ambulance services, and transporting the injured and wounded.
Summary of the Database
NHRC-CPT dataset presents a series of conflict-related events in Lebanon, focusing on health facilities and workers impacted by Israeli airstrikes, artillery shelling, and other military actions, primarily between October 2023 and October 2024. It highlights the destruction and damage inflicted on health infrastructure, vehicles (ambulances), and the loss or injury of healthcare personnel during this period. Here’s a summary of the main findings:
- Health Facilities: Many health facilities, including hospitals, health centers, and Red Cross buildings, were damaged or destroyed by Israeli airstrikes or artillery fire, particularly in the Nabatieh and South Governorates. Health buildings were frequent targets, with reports of bombings, fire, and even temporary closures due to extensive damage.
- Ambulances and Health Transportation: Numerous ambulances were destroyed or damaged, and several incidents involved direct attacks on health transportation, with ambulances often being hit by aerial bombs, artillery, or drones. These attacks led to casualties among paramedics and health workers.
- Health Workers: A significant number of health workers, including paramedics, nurses, and health facility staff, were either killed or injured during Israeli military operations. Many were targeted while performing their humanitarian duties. The dataset reports at least 75 healthcare workers killed and 57 injured in various attacks.
- Weaponry and Military Tactics: The Israeli Defense Forces primarily used aerial bombs from planes and drones, artillery shelling, and remote-controlled IEDs. Many of these attacks were concentrated around health facilities or while health workers were transporting the wounded.
- Obstruction and Evacuation: In some cases, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders to health facilities or obstructed access to hospitals, disrupting medical services.
In summary, the dataset captures the widespread and devastating effects of military operations on Lebanon’s health infrastructure and personnel during a period of intense conflict.
Event Description
October 2024: A medical centre was hit by an Israeli airstrike, damaging it.
October 2024: A Lebanese Red Cross building was hit and damaged, likely by Israeli airstrikes.
October 2024: A female nurse was killed by suspected Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: A health centre was issued an evacuation notice by Israeli forces.
September 2024: An ambulance and civil defense head quarters was hit in suspected Israeli airstrikes, killing a male paramedic and injuring four paramedics
September 2024: Seven paramedics were injured and an eighth paramedic missing under the rubble as a result of an Israeli airstrike.
September 2024: A pharmacy, buildings, and residential apartments were hit around midnight by Israeli planes and drones strikes.
September 2024: Six Lebanese paramedics were killed and four others were injured in Israeli airstrikes on a health centre.
September 2024: A paramedic and another civilain were killed while performing his humanitarian and national duty.
September 2024: Three paramedics were killed by Israeli airstrikes around 2 a.m. on a health organisation’s centre.
September 2024: Four male paramedics were killed by Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: A health facility was hit by an Israeli airstrike.
September 2024: The vicinity of a hospital was hit in an Israeli airstrike, causing damage to the facility and leading to its temporary closure.
September 2024: The vicinity of a hospital was carpet-bombed by an Israeli aircraft.
September 2024: A health facility was hit by Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: A paramedic was killed by suspected Israeli forces while performing his humanitarian and national duty.
September 2024: A paramedic was killed by suspected Israeli forces while performing his humanitarian and national duty.
September 2024: The vicinity of a hospital was hit during Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: A hospital was significantly damaged by Israeli airstrikes on the town, causing panic among patients and medical staff.
September 2024: The vicinity of a hospital was hit during Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: The vicinity of a hospital was hit during Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: An ambulance caught fire as a result of an Israeli drone strike.
September 2024: An ambulance belonging a political party was bombed while performing its duty, injuring an unspecified number of paramedics, most of whom returned to work the same day after their wounds were treated.
September 2024: An ambulance was hit by Israeli fighter jets, injuring four rescuers.
September 2024: A medical centre was hit during Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: A pharmacy was hit and damaged during Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: A female paramedic was killed in Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: The vicinity of a Red Cross centre was hit by Israeli artillery and airstrikes.
September 2024: A hospital was hit and damaged by Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes.
September 2024: An ambulance belonging was hit by an Israeli airstrike.
September 2024: A male paramedic was killed by suspected Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: A paramedic was killed by an Israeli airstrike while on duty.
September 2024: An ambulance was hit and damaged by Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: An ambulance caught fire after being hit by an Israeli strike, damaging it.
September 2024: A paramedic was injured when their ambulance transporting a patient to hospital was hit by suspected Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: Ministry of Public Health requested all hospitals in Baalbek-Hermel, Nabiateh and South governorates to halt surgeries and make room for the treatment of the wounded amid Israeli attacks.
September 2024: A hospital was damaged during Israeli airstrikes.
September 2024: An INGO closed two of their clinics because staff could not access them safely and emergency teams could not reach the wounded amid Israeli bombardment.
September 2024: An explosive detonated inside an ambulance.
September 2024: A nurse was injured during the pager attacks. She later died from her injuries.
September 2024: A hospital employee was injured in the pager attacks while working at a hospital. He later died from his injuries.
September 2024: Two health workers from an aid organisation were injured when Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on military infrastructure for Hezbollah.
September 2024: A paramedic was killed by Israeli forces.
September 2024: A fire truck was hit by an Israeli airstrike, killing three paramedics, and injuring two others.
August 2024: A number of ambulances belonging to an aid organisation were damaged when the Israeli military fired artillery, white phosphorus, and incendiary shells amid ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah.
August 2024: Three emergency health workers were injured in an Israeli airstrike, causing significant damage to the ambulance they were travelling in.
August 2024: Two NGO paramedics were injured by Israeli artillery shelling.
August 2024: A health worker was killed when an Israeli drone fired missiles amid ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah.
August 2024: A NGO paramedic was killed in an Israeli drone strike.
July 2024: A number of health workers were injured when Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons depot.
July 2024: An ambulance was hit in an Israeli airstrike, injuring two paramedics from an aid organisation who were inspecting a site previously hit by an Israeli raid.
September 2024: A hospital was issued with an evacuation order by Israeli forces.
June 2024: An INGO-supported health centre was hit by artillery shells fired by Israeli forces, damaging windows and equipment.
June 2024: A paramedic was killed by an Israeli airstrike as she stood in the doorway of her home.
June 2024: A paramedic was injured by an Israeli suicide drone strike.
June 2024: An ambulance was damaged by an Israeli airstrike.
June 2024: A health worker was killed by an Israeli forces attack on a cafe.
June 2024: Two paramedics from an NGO was killed by an Israeli forces attack.
June 2024: The vicinity of a hospital was shelled by Israeli forces.
May 2024: An ambulance was hit by Israeli drones, killing a paramedic and injuring their assistant.
May 2024: A hospital’s security guard was killed when an Israeli drone strike hit a motorcycle near the entrance of a hospital.
May 2024: A hospital security guard was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a motorcycle outside a hospital.
May 2024: A fire broke out in an area near a hospital after the Israeli military fired white phosphorus shells.
May 2024: A medic was killed in an Israeli strike while they were responding to another bombing.
May 2024: A male medic was killed by Israeli forces.
May 2024: A medic, his wife and their child were killed by an Israeli airstrike on their house.
April 2024: A health worker was injured in an Israeli airstrike.
April 2024: The area near a hospital was struck when the Israeli military fired artillery shells amid ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah. The Israeli military also dropped thermal balloons in the vicinity of the hospital.
April 2024: A paramedic was killed by Israeli airstrikes.
April 2024: A paramedic from the Islamic Risala Scout Assocaition was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
April 2024: A health worker was injured when Israeli forces fired ammunition at the village.
April 2024: A paramedic was injured by Israeli gunfire.
March 2024: A male medic was killed during fighting with Israeli forces.
March 2024: Two paramedics were killed in an Israeli bombing.
March 2024: A health worker was among four civilians killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a cafe.
March 2024: Seven paramedics were killed after an Israeli airstrike hit an emergency and relief services centre.
March 2024: Four health were injured when a civil defense centre was hit by an Israeli airstrike, damaging the facility.
March 2024: Four health workers were injured in an Israeli airstrike that hit an emergency medical building, causing damage to the centre and to their equipment.
March 2024: An emergency heath building was struck by Israeli fighter jets who were reportedly targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure.
March 2024: Israeli forces used heavy gunfire against ambulances responding to the scene of an airstrike of unidentified origin.
March 2024: The area near a hospital was struck by an Israeli warplanes airstrike, amid ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah.
March 2024: A male medic was killed by Israeli forces.
March 2024: A male medic was killed by Israeli forces.
March 2024: An ambulance centre was hit by suspected Israeli airstrikes, killing three paramedic and wounding two others.
March 2024: Three paramedics were killed and two others injured when an Israeli airstrike hit a health building, damaging it.
February 2024: Israeli drone fired missiles at ambulances responding to victims of previous Israeli warplanes airstrikes.
February 2024: Two medics were injured and their ambulance was damaged in Israeli airstrikes on the area.
February 2024: A male medic was killed by Israeli forces.
February 2024: A male medic was killed by Israeli forces.
February 2024: Two Lebanese civil defence paramedics were killed by an Israeli airstrike which hit a health centre. The facility was destroyed and an unspecified number of ambulances were damaged.
February 2024: Four health workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the area.
February 2024: One NRCS paramedic was injured during an Israeli forces raid.
February 2024: An unspecified number of medical centres and ambulances were damaged in an Israeli airstrike, during ongoing exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel.
February 2024: An ambulance belonging to an aid organisation was damaged by Israeli warplanes during escalation with Hezbollah.
February 2024: An ambulance was damaged by Israeli airstrikes on the area.
January 2024: An ambulance was damaged when Israeli drones carried out three strikes on a house in the area.
January 2024: A LNGO health centre was damaged by an Israeli airstrike, injuring two medics and destroying three ambulances.
January 2024: A male health worker was killed by Israeli bombing.
January 2024: The vicinity of a hospital was hit by Israeli artillery.
January 2024: A health building was hit by Israeli fighter jets, killing two health workers.
January 2024: An Israeli drone fired a missile near an ambulance, injuring a medic.
January 2024: The campus of a hospital was hit by Israeli artillery shelling, damaging windows.
December 2023: A Lebanese army health centre was hit by Israeli artillery.
December 2023: An Israeli drone struck a team of health workers; no casualties reported.
November 2023: A hospital was damaged and a health worker was wounded by Israeli military forces shelling the area.
November 2023: An ambulance was hit by an Israeli armed drone while transporting the wounded of previous bombings, wounding four paramedics.
October 2023: The area near a hospital was struck by two white phosphorus artillery shells fired by the Israeli military forces.
October 2023: The road near a hospital was struck by shells fired by the Israeli military forces.
Targeting of Humanitarian Workers
Reports documented by the National Human Rights Commission indicate serious violations of the protocol, including the targeting of ambulances bearing the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems, and the destruction of medical infrastructure, which is an integral part of the protection provided by international agreements. Field reports show repeated violent Israeli attacks targeting relief and medical teams in southern Lebanon, the Beqaa, and Beirut. The most recent incident involved Islamic Health Organization’s Civil Defense ambulance teams in the towns of Ayta Al-Shaab and Adaisseh (in the south) and Janta (in the Beqaa), where three separate airstrikes resulted in the killing of 10 paramedics on October 2, 2024. This brings the death toll of healthcare and relief workers to 55, according to data collected by the Ministry of Health, in addition to over 100 injured. Many ambulances were disabled, and medical centers were destroyed, including the bombing of Qana Governmental Hospital in the south and Al-Murtadha Hospital in the Beqaa, which led to their temporary closure. These violations represent a clear breach of international humanitarian law, which protects civilians, medical teams, and relief workers during armed conflicts.
On October 2, 2024, the General Directorate of Civil Defense in the Islamic Health Organization was hit by an Israeli airstrike on its center in the Zoqaq al-Blat area of Beirut, resulting in the death of seven paramedics.
On October 3, 2024, the Lebanese Red Cross announced that one of its teams was targeted in the Taybeh area, causing minor injuries. The team was able to complete its humanitarian mission and transported five injured persons and one fallen Lebanese army soldier to the hospital.
Fadi Jreij, President of the National Human Rights Commission in Lebanon, stated, “Any attack on relief teams and medical facilities is an affront to humanity, and last night’s Israeli bombing in Beirut is, unfortunately, the latest in a series of upcoming attacks that have targeted ambulances, hospitals, and clinics across various Lebanese regions.” He added, “This attack once again highlights the need for an international investigation to bring those responsible for these unlawful attacks to justice.”
Jreij also recalled the Commission’s call for a special session of the Human Rights Council on the grave human rights situation in Lebanon and for the Council to adopt a resolution establishing an independent, ongoing international investigation committee to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and all human rights abuses that occurred before and since September 22, 2024.
He added, “We call on the Lebanese government to reverse its previous decision concerning the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately submit a declaration to the Registrar of the ICC, accepting the Court’s jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes under the Court’s jurisdiction on Lebanese territory since October 7, 2023.”
Since September 20, 2024, relief teams have been subjected to numerous attacks in Nabatieh Governorate, where five members of the Civil Defense center in Nabatieh were killed during a firefighting mission in the town of Froun, and 23 others were injured at various locations. Additionally, centers were damaged due to airstrikes targeting the nearby areas in Nabatieh, Marjeyoun, Hasbaya, and Bint Jbeil, despite the Civil Defense vehicles clearly displaying the protective emblems outlined in the Geneva Conventions and their protocols.
On March 26, 2024, Israeli forces attacked the rescue teams of Al-Resala Scouts Association on the outskirts of Tayr Harfa, causing significant damage to the civil defense headquarters of Al-Resala Scouts in the town, as well as to ambulances and firefighting vehicles.
On March 28, 2024, Israeli occupation forces committed a massacre, killing seven paramedics in the town of Habbariyeh who were members of the Lebanese Ambulance Association, leveling the center where they were working. The bodies and injured were recovered over the course of several hours.
On March 3, 2024, three volunteers were killed in a direct Israeli attack on an ambulance center in the town of Adaisseh, southern Lebanon, belonging to the Islamic Health Organization.
On January 11, 2024, members of the Al-Resala Scouts Civil Defense narrowly escaped after their center in Khiam, in the eastern quarter, was hit by a missile from an Israeli warplane that did not explode. An Israeli warplane also targeted the Islamic Health Organization’s center and clinic in Hanin with three missiles, killing two Civil Defense members from the organization.
“Any attack on relief teams and medical facilities is an affront to humanity, and last night’s Israeli bombing in Beirut is, unfortunately, the latest in a series of upcoming attacks that have targeted ambulances, hospitals, and clinics across various Lebanese regions. This attack once again highlights the need for an international investigation to bring those responsible for these unlawful attacks to justice.”
Fadi Jreij, President of the National Human Rights Commission in Lebanon
Obligation under the International Law
The NHRC-CPT affirms that these violations clearly constitute breaches of the principles of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions and their attached protocols. The Additional Protocols explicitly state that humanitarian symbols, such as the Red Cross, Red Crescent, and Red Crystal, must be respected and cannot be targeted or used unlawfully. It also obliges warring parties to allow humanitarian aid to pass through and to protect it from any attacks.
Despite these international commitments, Israeli occupation forces continue to violate them repeatedly and without accountability, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of the international accountability system and its ability to protect civilians in armed conflicts.
Background
International humanitarian law, also known as the “law of war” or the “law of armed conflict,” lays out detailed rules to limit the effects of armed conflict for humanitarian reasons. It protects those not participating in the fighting or who have ceased to participate and places restrictions on the methods and means of warfare. International humanitarian law consists of global rules, treaties, and customary law intended to address the humanitarian issues directly arising from armed conflicts, whether international or non-international. The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 form the core treaties of this law.
In accordance with Article 16 of Law No. 62/2016 (which established the National Human Rights Commission), the Commission is responsible for monitoring and documenting violations of human rights and international humanitarian law during armed conflicts and for pursuing all available means to end impunity.
Sources of International Humanitarian Law Derived from Treaties
The four Geneva Conventions of 1949—the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Geneva Conventions—are fundamental treaties of international humanitarian law. These conventions were supplemented by two Additional Protocols in 1977:
- The First Protocol relates to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts.
- The Second Protocol relates to the protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts.
- The Third Additional Protocol of 2005 introduced the Red Crystal as a distinctive additional emblem, added to the Red Cross and Red Crescent symbols. This protocol was designed to address perceptions in some contexts that the Red Cross and Red Crescent were religious or political symbols, which undermined the protection these symbols provided to individuals and properties and made it impossible for some countries and their relief organizations to adopt either symbol.
Other international treaties prohibit the use of certain means and methods of warfare and protect specific categories of people and property from the effects of hostilities. These treaties include:
- 1925 Protocol prohibiting the use of asphyxiating, poisonous gases, or similar warfare methods.
- 1954 Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its protocols from 1954 and 1999.
- 1972 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons, and their Destruction.
- 1976 Convention prohibits using environmental modification techniques for military or other hostile purposes.
- The 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons prohibits or restricts the use of certain conventional weapons that may be deemed excessively injurious or have indiscriminate effects. This framework includes five protocols governing the use of certain weapons.
- 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their destruction.
- 1997 Ottawa Treaty banning the use, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines and calling for their destruction.
- 2000 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, addressing the involvement of children in armed conflict.
- 2006 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
- 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.
In addition to treaties, customary international law remains a significant source of international humanitarian law. Customary law can fill gaps in areas where treaty law may not apply.
