The World Health Organization chief on Thursday said that 28 healthcare workers had been killed in the last 24 hours in Lebanon amid an escalation in conflict with Israel.
“Many health workers are not reporting to duty as they fled the areas where they work due to bombardments,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press briefing.
“This is severely limiting the provision of mass trauma management and continuity of health services,” he stressed.
In southern Lebanon, he said that 37 health facilities have been closed, while in Beirut, three hospitals have been forced to fully evacuate staff and patients, and another two were partially evacuated.
Noting that WHO is working with the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon to support effective management of trauma and mass casualty at hospitals, he said: “We had planned to deliver a large shipment of trauma and medical supplies tomorrow.”
“Unfortunately, this has not been possible due to the almost complete closure of Beirut’s airport,” the agency’s chief lamented.
Tedros called on all partners to facilitate flights to deliver “much-needed life-saving supplies” to Lebanon.
“WHO calls for a de-escalation of the conflict; for healthcare to be protected and not attacked; for access routes to be secured and supplies delivered; and for a cease-fire, a political solution, and peace,” he said, calling Iran’s attack on Israel a “dangerous escalation with serious consequences” for the region.
Israel has launched massive airstrikes since Sept. 23 on what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon that have killed so far more than 1,100 victims, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The aerial campaign was an escalation in a yearlong conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 41,800 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.
At least 1,974 people have since been killed, over 9,384 injured, and 1.2 million others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.
The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.
