Since March 2, 2026, Lebanon has seen a devastating impact on its healthcare sector, with 40 healthcare workers killed and 96 injured as of March 16, 2026, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Five hospitals have been forced to close. Among the casualties are staff from the Islamic Health Association, a civilian group linked to Hezbollah and cooperating with Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, as well as Red Cross paramedics and others.

The Israeli military has accused ambulances and medical facilities of military use but has not provided evidence to support these claims. Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Kristine Beckerle noted on March 23, 2026, that this pattern repeats a “deadly playbook” observed in 2024, when investigations found no proof of military use in multiple Israeli attacks that killed healthcare workers.

International humanitarian law clearly protects hospitals and medical transport unless they are actively used for harmful military acts, and even then, only after warnings for evacuation go unheeded. Being affiliated with Hezbollah does not remove paramedics’ protected status. Targeting medical personnel performing their duties constitutes a war crime.

The World Health Organization documented 28 attacks on healthcare in Lebanon from March 2 to 15 alone, resulting in 30 deaths and 35 injuries. The ongoing diplomatic and military support given to parties committing these acts, allowing them impunity, represents a profound failure of both international law and collective moral responsibility.