WHO Condemns Israeli Attacks on Lebanese Health Care Workers That Have Killed at Least 31 - News From Antiwar.com

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a statement condemning the trend of Israeli forces deliberately targeting Lebanese health care workers in the ongoing war against southern Lebanon, calling it a “tragic development” in the escalating crisis.

The Israeli narrative is, as ever, “Hezbollah.” Though they offered no evidence to support the assertion, the IDF is claiming that Hezbollah is in some way using ambulances for military operations in resistance of the ongoing Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon.

Though no evidence is available of Hezbollah using ambulances to carry out military attacks, there is actually substantial evidence of the IDF using ambulances themselves to carry out ground raids against Hezbollah, with a large raid against Hezbollah in Nabi Chit involving IDF commandos in Lebanese ambulances.

Attacking ambulances and killing health care workers is, of course, illegal under international humanitarian law. Though there are some situations whereby specific ambulances can lose protected status, the blanket targeting of an entire nations ambulance stock on the notion that some of them might secretly be in league with Hezbollah is plainly not allowed. Moreover, the use of ambulances to disguise military forces, as Israel specifically did in Nabi Chit, is itself a violation of international law.