The latest attacks killed two Lebanese Red Cross volunteers: Youssef Assaf, who died during a rescue operation on March 9, and Hassan Badawi, who was killed in a drone strike on April 12.
According to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 169 confirmed attacks on health personnel and facilities in Lebanon, resulting in 116 deaths.
Lebanese authorities say more than 3,000 people have been killed since hostilities escalated in March, with violence continuing despite the ceasefire. Hezbollah fighters based in Lebanon began shelling Israeli communities shortly after the Israeli-American bombing of Iran began; exchanges of fire continue today, and media reports indicate that 21 Israeli soldiers have been killed since March 2.
Pakinomist spoke with Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR; Tommaso Della Longa, spokesman for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC); and Ali Saad of the Lebanese Red Cross. They all agree on one thing: that first responders should never be targets.
Aid workers caught in the crossfire
From a human rights perspective, deliberately targeting medical personnel is a war crime. According to the OHCHR’s Mr. Al-Kheetan, the international community must do more to ensure the protection of health workers in all conflicts.
The office “has documented cases where Israeli forces launched attacks involving direct attacks on civilians, including medical personnel,” he maintained, stressing that such attacks are not without precedent, pointing to similar patterns previously documented in Gaza and in other conflicts around the world.
A residential neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon shows signs of missile attack. (file)
A ‘shocking’ sight
IFRC’s Mr. Describing a recent visit to Lebanon, Della Longa recalled the harrowing sight of Red Cross volunteers donning flapping jackets and helmets before heading out to save lives.
“What shocked me the most,” he said, “was to see Lebanon lose people committed to humanity and to serving others.”
Mr. Della Longa explained that the details and location of Youssef Assaf and Hassan Badawi’s mission had been shared with the warring parties. They were also traveling in ambulances clearly marked with Red Cross insignia when they were killed.
‘They are not just numbers’
“Behind every paramedic or volunteer killed is a family – they’re not just numbers,” he said. “Hassan had a pregnant wife and a son waiting for him at home.”
For Mr. Della Longa, “to hit an ambulance and kill a humanitarian worker means to weaken entire communities.”
He renewed the call for the international community to respect and protect civilians, humanitarian workers and medical transport in accordance with international law.
Rescue workers deal with the aftermath of a missile attack on a neighborhood in Beirut. (file)
Deconfliction fails on the ground
To help protect rescue teams, the Lebanese Red Cross is working with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), sharing coordinates and ensuring that all combatants are informed of the paramedics’ whereabouts. This vital work is known as deconfliction, explained Mr. Saad, a liaison coordinator with the Lebanese Red Cross.
But even with all these measures in place, rescuers have still been targeted.
“This is why Red Cross volunteers hug each other and say goodbye before every mission,” he explained.
The killing of Youssef Assaf and Hassan Badawi still haunts their volunteer colleagues, who have had no explanation as to why they were attacked. Such attacks – and the killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil on April 22 – are evidence of a “double pressure” trend which is on the rise, Mr Saad insisted.
Killed with a stretcher
Hassan Badawi was killed in an attack as he got out of an ambulance on a stretcher during a rescue mission in southern Lebanon, Mr. Said, “a drone attacked him directly and left 300 pieces of shrapnel in his body.”
Given UNIFIL’s central role in de-conflict, their imminent withdrawal and withdrawal from Lebanon next year is unthinkable, says the Red Cross worker: “I don’t know who will support us, but UNIFIL were truly international witnesses to what is going on. They may not have stopped the war or provided a security umbrella, but they were the only true witness to this situation.”
In the meantime, the 5,000 Red Cross volunteers will continue to go on missions and risk their lives. They can access zones located in the so-called “yellow line” – a no-go zone inside southern Lebanon created by the Israeli military last month – but cannot enter battlefield zones near the border, not even to pick up dead bodies.
“They are not military people, their only weapon is a bandage and helping people,” which should be reason enough to protect them, Mr Saad insists.
