### Deadly Airstrikes Target Hospitals and Medical Workers in Southern Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes brought devastation to the town of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon just before noon, sending shockwaves and panic through its public hospital. Shoshan Mazraani, the emergency room director, immediately sprang into action, well-versed in the grim protocols that follow such attacks. The scene turned even more chaotic after five exhausting hours at the emergency room, when a sudden whistle preluded a powerful blast that shattered the hospital's windows and doors.

The community of Marjayoun, previously thought to be relatively safe, was caught off guard. Nicknamed the "Christian corridor" by UN peacekeepers, the town had largely been spared from the ongoing violence. However, Israel's aerial offensive, which started on 23 September, has since claimed the lives of 700 people and injured over 2,000 across Lebanon, including more than 50 paramedics over the past two weeks alone.

The focus of the airstrikes has included healthcare workers affiliated with Hezbollah or Amal, both of which are Shia political parties, although their affiliations should not affect their protected status under international law. Last week, multiple hospitals in Southern Lebanon were targeted: Bint Jbeil hospital, the outskirts of Tibnine public hospital, an empty building next to Ragheb Harb University hospital, and a medical center in central Beirut belonging to the Islamic Health Organisation, a Hezbollah-linked paramedic service, were all struck.

One concerning pattern noted by paramedics was the timing of the strikes; Israeli airstrikes seemed to follow closely after rescue operations began. In one instance, an ambulance in the town of Suhmoor was directly hit after the team had exited the vehicle, a disturbing event captured and shared widely in Lebanese media.

In addition to the bombings, paramedics have reported receiving eerie phone calls in Arabic, urging them to evacuate their medical centers. These calls have instilled fear and forced evacuations, though no buildings targeted by these calls were subsequently bombed. This tactic diverges from prior Israeli calls to the general Lebanese populace, which aimed to warn them away from buildings allegedly storing Hezbollah weapons. Experts assert that such tactics are banned under international humanitarian law, designed to prevent undue panic and ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities.

Human Rights Watch researcher, Ramzi Kaiss, reinforced that deliberately targeting healthcare facilities or workers is expressly forbidden unless they directly engage in harmful acts. Despite these regulations, the Israeli military has maintained that its operations comply strictly with international law and aim to minimize civilian harm.

Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a plastic surgeon with experience in both Gaza and Beirut, echoed concerns about the current tactics, likening them to those used in Gaza. He fears that undermining the health system in southern Lebanon could be a strategy aimed at depopulating the area along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The continuous bombings and ominous phone calls have deeply unsettled medical workers, including Mazraani, who remains determined to maintain her team's morale. Her department’s steadfastness, she believes, plays a crucial role in keeping the team together amid the chaos. "We are trying as much as we can to continue, because there are still people here," says Mazraani, emphasizing her resolve to stay put despite the danger.