Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine gives a press conference on Saturday, March 28, after the killing of nine Lebanese paramedics in southern Lebanon by Israeli strikes. (Photo provided by the press service of the Lebanese Health Ministry)
Israel has killed a total of five health care workers and 46 first responders in Lebanon since the start of the war's escalation on March 2, Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine announced on Saturday. On Saturday alone, Israel killed nine first responders, he added.
"The number of martyrs in the health sector amounts to 51, namely 46 rescuers and five health care workers," the minister said at a press conference. He added that nine hospitals in southern Lebanon have also been attacked over the past three weeks. In total, the ministry has recorded 75 attacks on rescue and health services since March 2, Nasreddine said.
Strikes on Nabatieh and Jezzine
According to Nasreddine, all nine rescue workers were on active missions when they were targeted. Four of them belonged to the Islamic Health Committee, affiliated with Hezbollah, while the other five were members of the Islamic Mission Scouts Association (al-Rissala), linked to the Amal movement.
On the night from Friday to Saturday, Israel killed seven rescuers. Two of them, Mohammad Nassif Zhour, from Yohmor al-Shaqif, and Mohammad Toufayli, from Kfar Tibnit, were killed and others wounded in an Israeli drone attack on Islamic Health Committee vehicles in Kfar Tibnit (Nabatieh), according to our correspondent. Two others, Mohammad Daher and Ahmad Onaissi, were killed in Jezzine, near the car where journalists Ali Choeib, Fatima, and Mohammad Ftouni were when they too were targeted by Israel. An Islamic Health Committee ambulance transporting victims of a strike in the Nabatieh region was also targeted between Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr and Kfar Dajjal, wounding two rescuers.
The five Rissala rescuers were in an ambulance Israel targeted in Zawtar Sharqieh (Nabatieh). They have been identified as Atef Qaddouh, Hussein Ali Darwiche, Hassan Noureddine, Ali Hassan Jeha, and Ibrahim Zaher Abu Zeid.
After these successive attacks on ambulances, the Lebanese Red Cross stated in a statement that in order to respond to calls in the border areas of south Lebanon, it informs the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and waits for secured passage to be assured. "The Lebanese Red Cross continues to carry out its missions while taking strict protective measures, following the injuries and painful losses suffered by its teams. It remains committed to making every effort and maintaining close coordination with UNIFIL, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Lebanese Army to secure safe passage under these extremely dangerous conditions, while continually calling for respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of medical personnel and ambulances," the organization added.
