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Recent attacks killed two Lebanese Red Cross volunteers: Youssef Assaf, who died during a rescue operation on March 9, and Hassan Badawi, killed in a drone strike on April 12.
According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), there were 169 confirmed attacks on health workers and facilities in Lebanon, resulting in 116 deaths.
Lebanese authorities say more than 3,000 people have been killed since hostilities escalated in March, and violence continues despite a ceasefire. Lebanon-based Hezbollah fighters began shelling Israeli communities shortly after the Israeli-US bombing of Iran began; gunfire continues to this day, with media reports indicating that 21 Israeli soldiers have been killed since 2 March.
UN News spoke with Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR; Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); and Ali Saad of the Lebanese Red Cross. They all agree on one thing: that first responders should not be targeted.
Aid workers are caught in the crossfire
From a human rights perspective, deliberately targeting medical personnel constitutes a war crime. According to Mr Al-Kheetan from OHCHR, the international community must do more to ensure the protection of health workers in all conflicts.
The office “has documented cases in which Israeli forces launched attacks involving direct attacks on civilians, including medical personnel,” he stressed, stressing that such attacks are not unprecedented, citing similar patterns previously documented in Gaza and other conflicts around the world.
Residential neighborhoods in Beirut, Lebanon show signs of missile attacks. (submit)
A ‘shocking’ sight
Describing a recent visit to Lebanon, IFRC’s Della Longa recalled the shocking scene when Red Cross volunteers donned flak jackets and helmets before setting out to save lives.
“What shocked me most,” he said, “was seeing Lebanon lose people who were committed to humanity and serving others.”
Mr. Della Longa explained that the details and location of Youssef Assaf and Hassan Badawi’s mission had been communicated to the conflicting parties. They were also traveling in an ambulance clearly marked with the Red Cross symbol when they were killed.
‘It’s not just a number’
“Behind every paramedic or volunteer killed, there is a family – it’s not just a number,” he said. “Hassan has a pregnant wife and a son waiting for him at home.”
For Mr. Della Longa, “crashing an ambulance and killing a humanitarian worker means weakening an entire community.”
He renewed his call on the international community to respect and protect civilians, humanitarian workers and medical transport in accordance with international law.
Rescue workers disappear after a missile attack on a neighborhood in Beirut. (submit)
Deconfliction fails in the field
To help protect rescue teams, the Lebanese Red Cross is working with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFILE), share coordinates and ensure that all belligerents are notified of the presence of paramedics. This important work is known as deconfliction, explained Saad, the Lebanese Red Cross liaison coordinator.
But even though all measures have been taken, rescue teams are still being targeted.
“This is why Red Cross volunteers hug each other and say goodbye before going on a mission,” he explained.
The murders of Youssef Assaf and Hassan Badawi still haunt their fellow volunteers who have no explanation as to why they were targeted. Such attacks – and the murder of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil on April 22 – are evidence of a growing “double tap” trend, Saad stressed.
Died carrying a stretcher
Hassan Badawi was killed in an attack while getting out of an ambulance on a stretcher during a rescue mission in southern Lebanon, Saad said, “a drone hit him directly and left 300 shrapnel in his body.”
Given UNIFIL’s leading role in defusing the conflict, their withdrawal and withdrawal from Lebanon in the next year is unthinkable, the Red Cross worker said: “I don’t know who will support us, but UNIFIL really, they are international witnesses to what is happening. They may not have stopped the war or provided a security umbrella, but they are the only real witnesses to the situation.”
Meanwhile, 5,000 Red Cross volunteers will continue to carry out missions and risk their lives. They can access zones located on the so-called “yellow line” – a restricted zone in southern Lebanon created by the Israeli military last month – but cannot enter battlefield zones near the border, even to retrieve bodies.
“They are not military men, their only weapons are bandages and help to people,” which should be reason enough to protect them, Saad stressed.
