Initial reports from Lebanese authorities indicate that at least 86 individuals, including healthcare workers, were injured in attacks on Jabal Amel Hospital. Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO Representative to Lebanon, stated that the assaults caused “significant damage to the emergency department and intensive care unit.” Speaking from Beirut on Tuesday, Dr. Abubakar noted that Jabal Amel is among the few hospitals still operational in the south.
A Deadly Trend
The WHO has confirmed approximately 190 attacks on healthcare in just three months, resulting in the deaths of 128 health workers and injuries to 332 others. Last week alone saw 11 such attacks. “These attacks are killing people, maiming them, and also depriving people of the health services they need,” the WHO representative said.
The brunt of intensified clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israel over the past few days has been borne by health services in the Tyre region. Both Jabal Amel and Hiram hospitals, attacked last Sunday, sustained damage, while a third hospital is described as “overwhelmed by the increasing number of injured patients.” Access to basic services is critically limited, especially in southern Lebanon, where patients face delays of up to 48 hours to reach the nearest referral centers, Dr. Abubakar emphasized.
A Matter of Life and Death
“Six hospitals have not yet resumed maternity services and are currently only providing emergency care,” Dr. Abubakar highlighted. “Delays in care for pregnant women and newborns can mean the difference between life and death.”
The WHO representative also drew attention to the dire health situation in shelters hosting approximately 130,000 people fleeing the conflict. Displacement is increasing following recent Israeli evacuation orders. Warnings of escalating violence and Israeli strikes on southern Beirut suburbs, home to hundreds of thousands of civilians, prompted a Security Council meeting on Monday.
The UN health agency is monitoring infectious diseases in shelters and host communities, reporting an “increasing trend towards acute watery diarrhea.” “We are in the summer season, and the risk of cholera may increase now,” Dr. Abubakar cautioned.
With humanitarian needs outpacing response, the WHO representative stressed the necessity of sustained funding for essential health services. “We also call for an end to attacks on health care and active protection for health facilities,” he stated, reiterating calls for a sustainable ceasefire and lasting peace.
More than 3,400 people have died and approximately 10,400 have been injured in Lebanon since the current clashes between Israeli and Hezbollah fighters began on March 2, with a majority being civilians. “These have been the deadliest months for Lebanon since the start of the conflict in October 2023,” Dr. Abubakar stated. A ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, brokered by the U.S. and taking effect on April 17, has never been fully observed by either side. It was last extended nominally twice for a period of 45 days, most recently on May 16.
