Israeli Offensive Forces Closure of 60% of Medical Services in Lebanon

Destruction caused by Israeli bombing in Nabatieh, Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2024. X/ @muftusami

November 11, 2024 Hour: 9:33 am

WHO-EMRO director Balkhy denounced that Israeli forces have carried out 103 direct, relentless attacks on health facilities.

On Monday, the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO-EMRO) warned that 60 percent of healthcare centers in Lebanon have closed due to the Israeli army offensive, which has caused widespread insecurity and destruction in the country.

“As many as 17 hospitals in Lebanon have stopped functioning or are only partially operational due to insecurity or damage to infrastructure… It is estimated that 127 primary care centers and dispensaries have been forced to close,” said WHO-EMRO Director Hanan Balkhy.

She reported that “103 relentless” direct attacks on Lebanese healthcare centers have been identified as carried out by Israel, asserting that this “constitutes a blatant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law.”

“We cannot allow healthcare disruption to become the norm,” said the WHO-EMRO director, urging the international community to protect civilians and healthcare professionals in Lebanon.

Western backed Zionists have carried out a major massacre in the village of Almat in central Lebanon. Many children are among the dead.

Israel is slaughtering communities and families that support the Resistance since the regime has failed against Hezbollah on the battlefield. pic.twitter.com/hz0tI17j5I
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) November 11, 2024

Balkhy noted that throughout the conflict, the WHO has delivered 124 metric tons of medical equipment, including a three-month supply of blood bank supplies and trauma kits, which were provided to 45 hospitals deemed critical by the authorities. She also referenced ongoing armed conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, calling for an “immediate and sustained” ceasefire in these areas, as well as in Lebanon.

Regarding Gaza, the WHO official welcomed the “success” of the polio vaccination campaign underway, noting that it delivered the second dose of the vaccine to 90 percent of patients. In reference to Sudan, she expressed deep “concern” over widespread violence and killings reported in recent weeks amid the conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.

“The WHO is providing medical supplies, ambulances, and immediate assistance, including trauma care and emergency surgery for victims, and is also collaborating in disease outbreak surveillance and response, such as for cholera,” Balkhy stated.

In the past year, Israeli occupation forces have killed 3,136 people and injured 13,979 in Lebanon, with the vast majority of victims of Zionist violence occurring since late September.