Key facts
- Healthcare workers and facilities in conflict zones are facing unprecedented attacks.
- International humanitarian law (IHL) exists to protect medical personnel and infrastructure.
- Despite IHL, violations are widespread in areas like Gaza and Lebanon.
- Attacks on medics in Lebanon have resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.
- The lack of political will to enforce international law is cited as the primary reason for impunity.
Attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers in conflict zones, including Ukraine, Lebanon, and Gaza, are occurring with increasing impunity, undermining international humanitarian law. Despite comprehensive legal frameworks like the Geneva Conventions, a lack of political will to enforce these laws has led to a dire reality for medical personnel and patients.
William Christou, a Guardian reporter, highlights Israel's consistent targeting of healthcare workers in Lebanon, describing tactics like "double-taps" where strikes are repeated as paramedics arrive. Since fighting escalated in March, at least 135 Lebanese medics have been killed and nearly 400 injured. The goal, according to healthcare officials, appears to be degrading the ability to sustain life in these areas to force population displacement, mirroring the situation in Gaza.
Natasha Sax, a legal expert with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), emphasizes that the problem lies not in gaps within international humanitarian law (IHL), but in the failure to implement it. IHL clearly designates medical units, patients, and personnel as having special legal status, requiring protection and respect. However, Sax notes widespread violations such as destruction of infrastructure, besiegement, and raids on hospitals.
In Gaza, half of hospitals are non-functional, and the remaining ones operate partially, with severe consequences for the civilian population. The law also protects medical personnel and ensures everyone is entitled to healthcare, regardless of their background. Despite past UN condemnations of impunity for such attacks, the situation has worsened globally.