Israeli attacks on Lebanon health sector should be probed as war crimes: Amnesty

Beirut, Lebanon: Amnesty International said on Wednesday that Israel’s attacks on ambulances, paramedics and health facilities during its recent war with Hezbollah should be investigated as war crimes.

Israel's strikes on paramedics, ambulances, and medical institutions during its recent fight with Hezbollah should be looked into as war crimes, Amnesty International warned on Wednesday.

More than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of full-scale conflict during which Israel deployed ground forces, was essentially put an end to by a truce agreement reached on November 27, AFP reported.

The Iran-backed group disputed charges made by the Israeli military during the fighting that it was transferring fighters and weapons in ambulances owned by the Islamic Health Committee, which is associated with Hezbollah.

According to Amnesty, “the Israeli military’s repeated unlawful attacks during the war in Lebanon on health facilities, ambulances and health workers, which are protected under international law, must be investigated as war crimes.”

It also urged that the Lebanese government provide the International Criminal Court with “jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes within the Rome Statute committed on Lebanese territory, and ensure victims’ right to remedy.”

Firass Abiad, Lebanon's health minister at the time, stated in December that 16 people had been killed in "67 attacks on hospitals, including 40 hospitals that were directly targeted" during the fighting.

“There were 238 attacks on emergency response organizations, with 206 dead,” he said, adding that 256 emergency vehicles including fire trucks and ambulances were also “targeted.”

According to Amnesty International, it looked into four Israeli strikes on medical vehicles and facilities in Beirut and south Lebanon between October 3 and October 9 of last year, which resulted in the deaths of 19 medical personnel, the injuries of 11 others, and “damaged or destroyed multiple ambulances and two medical facilities.”

“Amnesty International did not find evidence that the facilities or vehicles were being used for military purposes at the time of the attacks,” the statement said.

According to the rights group, it sent a letter outlining its findings to the Israeli military in November, but as of the time of publishing, it had not heard back.

“The Israeli military has not provided sufficient justifications, or specific evidence of military targets being present at the strike locations” to account for the “repeated attacks, which weakened a fragile health care system and put lives at risk,” Amnesty added.

Over 4,000 people were killed during the more than year-long conflict, according to Lebanese authorities. Lebanese authorities stated that the Israeli assault severely devastated large areas of the south and east as well as certain southern suburbs of Beirut. Reconstruction is likely to cost more than $10 billion.