BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported on Saturday that Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 26 paramedics and wounded 51 others since the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
The announcement followed reports that an overnight Israeli strike targeted a health care center in the southern town of Burj Qalawiya, killing 12 medical personnel, including doctors, paramedics, and nurses. Earlier, a separate strike on the town of Sawaneh left two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally Amal Movement dead.
The Lebanese health ministry condemned the attacks, accusing Israeli forces of repeatedly targeting ambulance crews while they were performing rescue duties. “Medical personnel and first responders should never be the target of military operations,” the statement said, calling for accountability under international humanitarian law.
The Israeli military, in turn, claimed that Hezbollah was using ambulances for military purposes, further intensifying the dispute over the legality of targeting medical facilities.
The escalation comes amid a broader cycle of conflict in southern Lebanon, with Israel and Hezbollah exchanging airstrikes, artillery fire, and cross-border attacks. Hospitals in the region report being overwhelmed, with shortages of medical supplies and staff due to the ongoing violence.
The Ministry of Health urged international organisations and humanitarian agencies to intervene to protect medical personnel and ensure safe access for emergency response teams.
The strikes on Burj Qalawiya and Sawaneh mark some of the deadliest attacks on medical staff in Lebanon in recent decades, raising serious concerns about civilian protection amid the ongoing conflict.
According to the ministry the Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 65 women and 106 children, since the start of the war with Hezbollah, adding that 2,009 others were wounded.
A ministry statement said 31 paramedics were among the dead, raising an earlier toll after the bodies of additional health workers were found following an overnight strike that authorities said hit a healthcare centre in the country’s south.
Israel had already been carrying out strikes in Lebanon despite a 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah. Since the latest escalation, Israeli forces have intensified air raids across the country and deployed ground troops near the border in response to Hezbollah’s drone and rocket attacks.
