Israel-Hezbollah Conflict: 51 Killed in 24 Hours, Including Medical Workers
Al Jazeera Staff
Lebanon's Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours have killed 51 people, including two medical workers. The death toll since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 16 has reached 552. Medical workers describe constant threats and a devastating toll.
Lebanon's Health Ministry reported on May 5 that Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours have killed 51 people, including two medical workers. This brings the total death toll since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 16 to 552.
The Health Ministry accused Israel of continuing to violate international law and humanitarian norms, directly targeting two facilities of the Health Authority in Qalawiya and Tibnin, in the Bint Jbeil district, in two airstrikes.
Since March 2, when Israel launched a new military campaign, the total death toll across Lebanon has reached 2,846. The United Nations has documented at least 103 Lebanese medical workers killed and 230 wounded in over 130 Israeli attacks since then.
Ali Safiuddin, head of the Lebanese Civil Defense Force in Tyre, southern Lebanon, told Al Jazeera: "We are threatened every second, every day. We wonder if we will survive or die. We know we have sacrificed ourselves working here. We have lost so many, and it feels like we are already gone."
Al Jazeera correspondent Obaida Hitto reported from Tyre: "International humanitarian law is clear: medical workers and rescue forces, like the Lebanese Civil Defense Force, must be protected in armed conflict. But on this front line, the question is not whether another attack is imminent, but how many are left to answer distress calls."
Battlefield surgeon Tahir Mohammed, who has worked in both Gaza and Lebanon, told Al Jazeera that Israel's actions in both places share similarities. "We saw colleagues in Gaza entering hospitals all the time. I have had colleagues, nurses, medical students killed by Israeli weapons. It is consistent to see the policy of targeting medical workers in Lebanon... If Israel had its way, it would occupy the entire southern Lebanon area and would do it tomorrow. They do not care about lives. I have seen it firsthand."
Israeli attacks have displaced over 1.2 million Lebanese since March 2. Despite the ceasefire in effect since April 16, attacks have increased.
