Lebanon: Türk Reiterates Call For Ceasefire Following Grave Escalation

Geneva, 26 November 2024 

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said today he was gravely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon in recent days, reiterating his call for an immediate ceasefire to put an end to the loss of life and destruction.

Dozens were reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes between 22 and 24 November, including eight children and 19 women. An airstrike that flattened an eight-storey building in Beirut on Saturday killed at least 29 people and left at least 67 injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The day before, an Israeli strike on the home of a hospital director in the Baalbek district killed him and six others, including a boy.

On 22 and 23 November, at least seven paramedics were reportedly killed in three separate Israeli strikes on the south of Lebanon. This adds to the 226 healthcare workers killed as a result of the conflict in Lebanon between 7 October 2023 and 18 November 2024, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly half of the attacks on healthcare teams and facilities in Lebanon have each caused at least one death – the highest proportion compared to any other active conflict in the world.

“This is another indication of how brutal this war is on health workers, and on civilians in general,” Türk said. “Healthcare personnel exclusively assigned to medical duties must be respected and protected in all circumstances. If they are targeted as such, this constitutes a breach of international humanitarian law, and may amount to a war crime.”

“Israel must do all it can to ensure full protection for medical staff and minimise any casualties among them, as well as any damage to health infrastructure,” the High Commissioner said.

Since 8 October 2023, at least 3,754 people have been killed and 15,626 injured in Lebanon by Israeli fire, according to the Ministry of Health. Almost 900,000 have been internally displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.

“Israeli military action in Lebanon has caused wide-scale loss of civilian life – including the killing of entire families, widespread displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, raising serious concerns about respect for the principles of proportionality, distinction and precautions,” Türk said.

“How many more lives have to be lost in order for the warring parties to end this suffering?” he added.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets on the north of Israel, which has also resulted in civilian casualties. “Most of these rockets are indiscriminate by nature, prolonging the unacceptable displacement of many Israeli civilians,” the High Commissioner said.

According to the Israeli Government, 40 civilians have been killed by Hezbollah rockets – including 13 in the occupied Syrian Golan – and more than 60,000 Israelis have been internally displaced from the north since 7 October 2023 due to rockets fired by Hezbollah.

“The only way to end the tragedy for innocent people on all sides is a permanent and immediate ceasefire on all fronts; in Lebanon, in Israel and of course in Gaza,” Türk said.

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