The death toll inflicted by Israel in Lebanon since March 2 has reached 2,846, according to the Lebanese health ministry, Al Jazeera reported on May 11. It said that Israeli attacks across the country on Sunday, May 10, had killed 51 people, including 2 medical workers. “The Israeli enemy continues to violate international laws and humanitarian norms, adding more crimes against paramedics, as it directly targeted two points of the Health Authority in Qalawiya and Tibnin, Bint Jbeil district, in two raids,” the ministry said. Since Israel’s war on Lebanon began on March 2, the United Nations says, at least 103 Lebanese medical workers have been killed and 230 injured in more than 130 Israeli strikes.
Dr. Tahir Mohammed, a war surgeon and humanitarian worker who has worked in both Gaza and Lebanon, told Al Jazeera that he saw parallels in Israeli actions in both places. “We used to see our colleagues in Gaza come through the door all the time. I’ve had colleagues, nurses, medical students killed by Israeli weapons, and so to see the same policy of targeting healthcare workers in Lebanon … it’s consistent,” he said. “If Israel had their way, they would absolutely occupy the entire southern region of Lebanon, and they would do it tomorrow. They have no care for life. I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Mohammed added.
Israel is also being accused of waging war on Lebanon’s agricultural potential. “Since October 2023, reports from local municipalities, humanitarian organizations, journalists, and international agencies have documented repeated Israeli destruction of farmlands, livestock facilities, irrigation systems, and agricultural infrastructure, threatening the viability of the farming communities,” Al Mayadeen reported on May 10.
