Amnesty International urges investigation of Israeli attacks on healthcare during conflict with Hezbollah, labeling them potential war crimes. Reports highlight significant casualties and destruction of medical facilities, raising concerns about compliance with international law. The Lebanese government is urged to facilitate ICC investigations for victims’ rights to remedy.
Amnesty International has called for an investigation into Israel’s attacks on ambulances, paramedics, and healthcare facilities during its recent conflict with Hezbollah, labeling these actions as potential war crimes. The call for inquiry follows a truce agreement reached on November 27 that ended over a year of hostilities, which included two months of intensive fighting following Israeli ground troop deployments.
The Israeli military accused Hezbollah of covertly using ambulances affiliated with the Islamic Health Committee to transport militants and weaponry, a claim that Hezbollah has categorically denied. Amnesty has noted that the assaults on health facilities, ambulances, and medical personnel infringe upon international law and warrant serious examination as war crimes.
The organization has urged the Lebanese government to empower the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute violations of the Rome Statute on Lebanese soil, emphasizing the need for victims to receive justice. Reports from the then Health Minister Firass Abiad revealed alarming statistics, including 67 attacks on hospitals, 40 of which were direct assaults, resulting in 16 fatalities among medical staff.
Furthermore, 238 attacks were recorded against emergency response teams, leading to the deaths of 206 individuals, and 256 emergency vehicles, including ambulances and fire trucks, were targeted during the conflict. Amnesty International’s investigation from October 3 to 9 uncovered that four of these assaults led to the deaths of 19 healthcare workers, with 11 others injured, impacting multiple ambulances and two medical facilities.
The organization’s findings indicated that there was no evidence suggesting the attacked health facilities or vehicles were engaged in military activities at the time of the strikes. Amnesty reached out to the Israeli military in November for clarifications but had not received any responses by the time of publication. The Israeli military has been criticized for failing to provide adequate justification for these repeated attacks, which undermined an already vulnerable healthcare infrastructure, jeopardizing lives across the region.
Lebanese authorities have reported that the protracted conflict resulted in over 4,000 deaths, with significant destruction occurring in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs. Reconstruction efforts are anticipated to exceed $10 billion, signifying a considerable economic burden as the nation seeks to recover from the devastation.
In summary, Amnesty International’s pressing call for an investigation into Israeli military actions during the recent conflict with Hezbollah underscores the necessity of scrutinizing potential war crimes. The reported attacks on medical personnel and facilities signal a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The international community’s engagement is crucial for justice and recovery for the victims of this prolonged conflict.
Original Source: www.arabnews.com
