The WHO denounces the death of more than 225 health workers in Lebanon due to Israeli attacks

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MADRID 22 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The World Health Organization (WHO) has denounced this Friday the death of more than 225 health workers in Lebanon due to attacks carried out by the Israeli Army since October 8, 2023, the date of the outbreak of hostilities with the party. Shiite militia Hezbollah following the assaults carried out the day before by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian groups against Israeli territory.

The organization’s representative in Lebanon, Abdinasir Abubakar, indicated in a press conference that to date 226 health workers have been confirmed dead and 199 injured, before highlighting that “almost 70 percent” of the deaths have been registered since the month of September, amid the uptick in Israeli attacks and the beginning of the invasion of Lebanon, unleashed on October 1.

Thus, he explained that to date there have been 127 attacks against health facilities and detailed that 47 percent of them have resulted in the death of at least one health worker. “It is a higher percentage than in any other conflict,” he said, before highlighting that the global average in conflict zones during the last year is around 33 percent.

Abubakar has also highlighted the “disproportionate” impact of the conflict on Lebanon’s health system and has stated that one in ten hospitals have closed or had to reduce their functions due to hostilities. For this reason, he has delved into the fact that the situation “is unprecedented, at all levels”, which is why he has reiterated the organization’s call to “end the suffering of civilians.”

Just a few hours before, at least two paramedics died in an Israeli bombing of a vehicle that was traveling in the south of the country, according to the Government of Lebanon, which detailed that the car belonged to the Islamic Health Committee, an association of rescuers linked to Hezbollah.

Israel unleashed a new invasion of Lebanon on October 1 after several weeks of intense bombing and attacks against the country, including the coordinated explosion of thousands of communication devices used by the Lebanese group, after more than eleven months of fighting with Hezbollah in the border area. Lebanon has reported more than 3,500 deaths since the outbreak of hostilities.

The resurgence in hostilities is part of the clashes that began more than a year ago, after Hezbollah attacked Israeli territory following the attacks carried out on October 7, 2023, which led the Israeli Army to unleash a bloody offensive against the Gaza Strip. Gaza, where more than 44,000 people have already died. Additionally, more than 790 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.