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A relief worker was killed and three others were wounded in Mreijeh, in Beirut's southern suburbs, on Friday morning, October 4, after relief teams and several photojournalists were targeted by at least one Israeli missile, according to sources from the Islamic Health Authority and eyewitness accounts from photojournalists on the ground.
The attack came shortly after an Israeli threat, delivered to Lebanese Civil Defense teams the previous night, warned of direct targeting should they carry out any rescue or first aid operations in the targeted areas, particularly the southern suburbs. The obstruction of rescue and first aid operations constitutes a war crime, as targeting medical teams and relief workers during armed conflicts is prohibited. International humanitarian law stipulates the obligation to protect these teams and facilitate their work to save lives and provide humanitarian assistance to the injured.
The death toll of paramedics killed today alone has risen to 13 members of the Civil Defense, affiliated with the Civil Defense Authority, in Mreijeh, Shaqra, Majdal Selm, Marjeyoun, and Jouaya. An additional center in Majdal Zoun was targeted, but the number of casualties is unknown.
Ali Alloush, head of the Press Photographers Syndicate, told Al-Mufakkira that he arrived in Mreijeh this morning with a team of colleagues who regularly enter the southern suburbs of Beirut to document the destruction at the same time each day. He said that upon arrival, he noticed a small bulldozer working at the site, accompanied by rescue workers.
He said, “We are a group of four photographers who, by agreement, regularly enter the southern suburbs to document the destruction.” He continued, “We arrived in Mreijeh and a vehicle was working to remove some rubble when it was struck directly by a missile.”
Mahmoud Karky, the media officer for the Civil Defense Directorate – Islamic Health Authority, told Al-Mufakkira that the Authority's rescue teams began clearing rubble and recovering the injured this morning, before one of their vehicles was directly targeted, killing the driver, who was also a member of the Authority. Seven other members were wounded.
Last night, Thursday, Al-Muraijah was subjected to some of the most intense airstrikes since the start of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, with 70 tons of explosives dropped on a small residential area. Lebanese media outlets have been reporting since this morning appeals from residents to allow the Civil Defense and rescue teams access to the devastated areas to search for missing persons.
Alloush expressed his belief that the target was the rescue teams, “although it is possible that everyone present was a target, including rescue workers and journalists, but the missile directly struck the vehicle.”
Hussein, a resident of the area, explains that the need for rescue and ambulance teams is more urgent than ever, given that the Israeli attacks have targeted both threatened areas and others not included in the threats announced by the Israeli army under the guise of “evacuation warnings.” He clarifies that it is impossible to ensure the evacuation of all residents from these areas before they are bombed, especially considering the difficulties some face in transporting the elderly and the lack of sufficient time to safely evacuate civilians.
Hussein adds that he fled his home to his workplace in Beirut, which is now his residence, but he remains worried about his neighbors who stayed in modest homes in the area. Although he has left, he has not yet been able to ascertain their safety.
Hussein believes that targeting civil defense teams not only endangers the lives of the aid workers and paramedics themselves, but also threatens the lives of all residents of the area, including those who have not yet been displaced or who may return, forced to choose between danger and displacement. Preventing these teams from reaching the affected areas constitutes a violation of the fundamental right to receive assistance and healthcare, exacerbating people's suffering and leaving them vulnerable without any protection or support.
Rescue Operations Banned
A pattern of Israeli targeting that obstructs relief and rescue operations is evident, with paramedics being targeted both before and after they begin their missions. For the third consecutive day, Israeli targeting has prevented any ambulance teams from reaching eight paramedics whose fate remains unknown after contact was lost with them following an attack on their three vehicles three days ago in the Taybeh-Adissa area of Marjeyoun district.
A team from the Lebanese Red Cross and the Lebanese Army, in coordination with UNIFIL, evacuated eight wounded individuals yesterday, Thursday, according to a Red Cross statement. The team was targeted by artillery fire, according to an army statement, resulting in the death of First Sergeant Maher Ahmad Oweik and injuries to five soldiers and a paramedic.
Earlier today, Al-Mufakkira documented that Lebanese Civil Defense personnel received a call warning them against carrying out any rescue operations in the southern suburbs, clearly revealing the aggression's attempt to obstruct rescue efforts. Attacks on aid workers and medical personnel have been recurring since the start of the aggression. At least 97 of them have been killed as of yesterday, according to the Minister of Health, in addition to 188 wounded.
This afternoon, seven more paramedics were killed in an airstrike targeting two Civil Defense vehicles belonging to the Islamic Health Authority at the entrance to Marjeyoun Hospital in southern Lebanon. Two other paramedics were also killed in an attack on a Civil Defense center in Khirbet Selm, in addition to the one killed in the morning attack on Mreijeh.
This afternoon, two paramedics were killed in Shaqra, according to the Islamic Health Authority's "Al-Mufakkira" (The Notebook). An ambulance was also targeted in Jouaya this afternoon, resulting in the death of a paramedic. At 6:00 PM, the Civil Defense center belonging to the Islamic Health Authority in Majdal Zoun was targeted, and the number of casualties is still unknown.
This brings the total number of martyrs from medical and relief teams to at least 110, according to Al-Mufakkira's count. Eight paramedics remain missing after contact was lost with them following an attack between Taybeh and Adaysseh on the southern border.
Marjeyoun Hospital was put out of service after an Israeli airstrike targeted two ambulances at its entrance, becoming the third hospital in the border region to be taken offline, following Mays al-Jabal Hospital today, Bint Jbeil Hospital ten days ago, and Al-Murtada Hospital last Saturday, September 28. The head of the Syndicate of Private Hospital Owners, Suleiman Haroun, revealed in a call with MTV that patients had been evacuated from Saint Therese Hospital in Hadath and that repairs and renovations had begun, with the hospital expected to reopen soon.
Two nurses and 11 others have been injured since the start of the offensive, and nine hospitals and 45 health centers have been damaged, rendering 40 of them inoperable, according to Ministry of Health figures. The offensive has also targeted 128 ambulances and fire trucks.
The Israeli aggression is systematically undermining medical and rescue infrastructure, including hospitals and emergency services. The obstruction of search and rescue operations means that the wounded remain on the ground and the victims are trapped under the rubble, without hope of receiving help. International humanitarian law prohibits targeting medical and relief personnel and guarantees them special protection. Israel has a history of impunity in this regard, thanks to the protection afforded it by the political powers of the Global North.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols guarantee the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers during armed conflicts, as well as the right of the wounded and sick to receive care. Medical care must be provided to the wounded and sick without discrimination, and access to medical aid must not be prevented or obstructed. The First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions (1977) further emphasizes the obligation to facilitate the passage of humanitarian relief teams to affected areas. Targeting relief teams constitutes a war crime under international law.
Karky told Al-Mufakkira, “The Israeli enemy has never been peaceful with us, and since October 8th, our humanitarian work has been a challenge to the aggression.” He explains: “They would block roads in populated villages, and we would open them; they would set fires in orchards and forests, and we would extinguish them; they would bomb families in their homes, and we would rescue them; they would surround families with fire, and we would extract them and personally transport them to a safe area.”
Karky revealed a feeling among rescue and ambulance workers that “the Israelis are provoked by our work,” emphasizing “the rational challenge of remaining alongside our people.” He told Al-Mufakkira that the organization takes measures as much as possible to continue working, not to withdraw from it: “We are rational and aware of the risks, but we continue our work in all places, even those where we are targeted.”
The targeting of relief teams and the attempt to impose a ban on rescue operations demonstrate the policy of collective punishment that Israel practices against the residents of targeted areas, without discrimination. Obstructing the delivery of aid is not only aimed at increasing the number of victims, but also at breaking the morale of the entire community by leaving it without any protection or support in the face of the war machine.
Under these harsh conditions, it becomes clear that the Israeli ban on rescue operations is not just an isolated war crime, but part of a series of crimes that seek to undermine all means of human life in the areas under aggression.