The sharply rising death toll in Lebanon, driven by intensified Israeli bombings in residential areas across the country, highlights the urgent need for a ceasefire to end a year of relentless bloodshed and destruction that has devastated the region, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) stated today. Inflammatory rhetoric from Israeli officials also raises alarm about the potential for widespread destruction in Lebanon, extending beyond legitimate military objectives. The initiation of a ground offensive on 1 October, along with Israel’s flagrant disregard for civilian protection, will surely lead to further atrocities.
On 23 September, Israel launched what it called “Operation Northern Arrows”, first targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the south. On that day alone, Israeli strikes killed at least 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women, while injuring over 1,800 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. In the following days, the death toll continued to rise. As of today, reports confirmed over a thousand deaths and over 2,300 injuries. In just one week of aerial bombing, the death toll nearly approaches that of the 34-day war between Israel and Lebanon in 2006.
In a targeted airstrike Israel killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as well as several other of its military commanders. On 1 October, Israel started a ground offensive in Lebanon.
Israeli bombardments have targeted densely populated residential neighborhoods and leveled high rise buildings, killing a disproportionately large number of civilians. International humanitarian law mandates that only legitimate military targets be attacked, and that all necessary steps be taken to avoid harming civilians. The use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas is highly likely to constitute an indiscriminate attack, which could lead to violations of international law and disproportionate harm to civilians. Hezbollah’s indiscriminate firing of rockets on Israel is also a violation of the rules of war. It is important for the UN to establish an investigative mechanism into violations of international law committed by all actors in Lebanon.
“The international community remains ineffectual while Israel intensifies its destructive campaign in the region, devastating countless lives and leaving behind rivers of blood and rubble after every airstrike. It is high time to end this carnage and stop the murderous escalation of violence, or else the entire region will plunge into further mayhem,” warned Amna Guellali, research director at CIHRS. “These attacks are leading a country that is already suffering from an acute economic crisis, with a crumbling health and social security system, to the brink of collapse.”
“It is high time to end the suffering in Lebanon, not only by ending the ongoing military onslaught but also through a solution to the political stalemate that has weakened the country and put its people in hardship.”
Internal displacement and refugee crisis
More than 200,000 people have been displaced by the airstrikes. This situation exacerbates the ongoing crisis of refugees and internally displaced persons. The destruction of infrastructure, coupled with a crumbling healthcare and social support system, hampers humanitarian aid efforts, leaving many vulnerable and without access to basic necessities. As attacks continue to be carried out, the potential for widespread displacement threatens to overwhelm the already precarious conditions in Lebanon, which hosts almost half a million Palestinian and one and a half million Syrian refugees, who are compelled to seek shelter elsewhere, including in Europe.
Alarming incitement and “human shield” discourse
In the past weeks, several Israeli officials used rhetoric that raised concerns about the fate of civilians in Lebanon. Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch said on TV “Lebanon would be ‘annihilated’.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Lebanon’s civilians directly, saying “for too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage…. We must take out those weapons. Starting this morning, the IDF has warned you to get out of harm’s way.”
The “human shield” narrative in Israeli military discourse has often been used to justify indiscriminate attacks. In Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza, this contention has been invoked as a legitimate cause to slaughter over 41,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children. This narrative advances claims largely unsubstantiated by evidence that armed groups, particularly Hamas and in the case of Lebanon, Hezbollah, use civilians, civilian buildings, and infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and homes to shield their military operations from attack. The human shield discourse often acts as a preemptive justification for large-scale military assaults on densely populated civilian areas, including airstrikes and artillery bombardments. While Hezbollah also has the obligation to protect civilians and avoid putting them at risk by placing military objects and personnel in their close vicinity, international law does not permit indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks on civilians, regardless of the tactics employed by armed groups. The over-reliance on this argument risks minimizing the immense civilian suffering caused by Israeli operations and raises serious questions about the legality and morality of such actions.
Attacks against medics and medical infrastructures
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, there have been many attacks against medical facilities in several localities in the south, as well as a Hospital in Baalbek, which led to the hospital being out of service. The Ministry reported that 14 paramedics were killed in two days. This high death toll among paramedics is a stark reminder of Israel’s systematic and consistent targeting of medical personnel in Gaza, where more than 374 medics were killed, and over 120 ambulances completely destroyed.
Under International Humanitarian Law, the protection of medical personnel is a critical principle, aiming at ensuring the safety of those providing medical care during armed conflicts, recognizing their essential role in treating the wounded and sick. Willfully killing or injuring medical personnel is considered a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions.
Background
Prior to the aerial bombardment, Israel used other attacks that terrorized and harmed civilians in Lebanon. At least 12 people, including two children, were killed on 17 September in a massive remote attack across Lebanon and parts of Syria on devices (pagers) reportedly used by Hezbollah. Approximately 2,800 people were injured in the attack. The next day, explosions went off across Lebanon due to detonations of electronic devices, including walkie-talkies and solar equipment, causing nine deaths and at least 300 injuries in a few hours. By remotely triggering the explosion of pagers and other devices across Lebanon and Syria, Israel has instilled pervasive fear among civilians, carrying out what appears to be a series of indiscriminate attacks.
The 2006 Israeli-Lebanese war resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction in Lebanon. The conflict, which lasted from 12 July to 14 August 2006, was marked by heavy Israeli bombardments and cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. According to Human Rights Watch, around 1,191 people in Lebanon were killed, the vast majority of whom were civilians.
The unremitting destruction to Lebanon’s infrastructure is devastating. Israeli airstrikes have targeted bridges, roads, and key civilian infrastructure, including Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, as well as power stations and ports.
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