BEIRUT: At least 51 people, including two medical workers, were killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon over the past 24 hours, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
In a statement, the ministry accused Israel of continuing to violate international humanitarian law by directly targeting medical and emergency personnel.
“The Israeli enemy continues to violate international laws and humanitarian norms, adding more crimes against paramedics,” the ministry said, noting that two separate strikes hit Health Authority centers in Qalawiya and Tibnin in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon.
The attacks come despite a US-brokered ceasefire that has entered its third week.
According to the ministry, 2,846 people have been killed nationwide since March 2, when Israeli forces launched a renewed military operation in Lebanon.
The United Nations says at least 103 Lebanese medical workers have been killed and 230 others injured in more than 130 Israeli strikes targeting healthcare and emergency facilities since the escalation began.
Ali Safiuddin, head of the Lebanese Civil Defence in the southern city of Tyre, said emergency workers continue to operate under constant threat.
“We’re under threat every second, every day,” Safiuddin told Al Jazeera. “We ask ourselves if we’re going to survive or if we’re going to die.”
Reporting from Tyre, international humanitarian law clearly requires the protection of medical personnel and first responders during armed conflict, according to Al Jazeera.
War surgeon and humanitarian worker Dr. Tahir Mohammed, who has worked in both Gaza and Lebanon, said he observed similarities in Israeli military tactics in the two territories.
“We used to see our colleagues in Gaza come through the door all the time,” he said. “I’ve had colleagues, nurses, medical students killed by Israeli weapons, and so to see the same policy of targeting healthcare workers in Lebanon … it’s consistent.”
Dr. Mohammed further claimed that Israel would seek to occupy southern Lebanon if given the opportunity.
Israeli attacks have displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon since March 2, according to local authorities.
Although a ceasefire took effect on April 16, Lebanese officials say Israeli strikes have continued to intensify.
