Screenshot of Firas Abiad's television interview on a Lebanese channel, Oct. 14, 2024.
Lebanon's Health Minister Firas Abiad said in a televised statement that "150 healthcare professionals," including doctors, paramedics, and firefighters, have been killed by Israeli strikes since the war began on Oct. 8, 2023, with the majority of deaths occurring after Sept. 23. He also reported that 250 other healthcare workers have been injured and that 13 hospitals are now out of service. He announced that a complaint is being prepared for submission to the U.N. Security Council and human rights organizations, in collaboration with the Beirut Bar Association.
However, the minister praised the "resilience" of Lebanon's healthcare sector and emphasized the importance of international support and aid in this context. He noted that the stock of most medications is secured for "4 to 5 months" and assured that a solution is being found to replenish other treatments in collaboration with the Lebanese airline, Middle East Airlines.
ICRC Concerned
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on Monday for the protection of Lebanon's healthcare system. "I make an urgent appeal for the protection of healthcare workers, ambulances, hospitals, and primary health centers, " said Nicolas von Arx, the ICRC's regional director for the Near and Middle East.
"The attacks on healthcare facilities are extremely concerning," he added. "We are extremely worried about population displacements, the functioning of healthcare systems, and the continued suffering in Lebanon."
He specified that the ICRC's priority is to provide assistance and support to a healthcare sector already weakened by five years of economic crisis, notably through the establishment of trauma treatment units in Beirut and eastern Lebanon.
Von Arx added that the Red Cross is now facing growing difficulties in operating in southern Lebanon. "It's very difficult to access," he said on the same day an Israeli airstrike injured the driver of a humanitarian convoy in eastern Lebanon, according to an official media source.
Of the 207 primary healthcare centers in conflict zones in Lebanon, 100 have closed due to the escalation of violence, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
