By Lisa Nyambura
At least four hospitals in Lebanon suspended operations on Friday following Israeli airstrikes, as a Hezbollah-linked health organization reported the deaths of 11 paramedics in the last 24 hours.Â
The closures mark two weeks of escalating violence that has shuttered 37 healthcare facilities and killed dozens of medical staff, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Israeli strikes on hospitals and health workers have intensified, with accusations that Hezbollah is using medical vehicles to transport fighters.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) warned it would target any vehicle suspected of military use.
In southern Lebanon, the Marjayoun Governmental Hospital closed after an airstrike killed seven paramedics.
“The nurses and doctors were terrified,” said hospital director Dr. Mounes Kalakish.
Hospitals in Beirut and Bint Jbeil have also been severely damaged. The Lebanese Red Cross reported that four paramedics were wounded during a patient evacuation.
WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the targeting of healthcare workers, stating that 28 healthcare staff had been killed in Lebanon in the past 24 hours, and many more were too fearful to report to work amid ongoing strikes.
