The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that 37 out of 317 health centres in Lebanon have ceased operations following Israeli airstrikes that began on September 23.
In a statement shared on X, the organisation emphasised the critical need to protect medical facilities.
The WHO reported that 37 health centers, out of 317 centers across Lebanon, have closed their doors and are no longer able to provide services.
According to the WHO, access to health services is essential as access to food, water, and shelter.
Lebanese media outlets indicate that the majority of the affected medical centers are located in southern Lebanon.
In light of Israel’s aggression on Lebanon, World Health Organisation spokeswoman Margaret Harris stated that the WHO “did not expect this number of dead and injured in any scenario.”
Harris said that the health system in Lebanon is facing great difficulties as the number of wounded is constantly increasing.
She pointed out that health care professionals in Lebanon did their best, but many health care facilities stopped providing services, as a result of the ongoing attacks, noting that there are many injuries that require special care due to explosions of electronic devices in the country last week.
“Since September 16, we have reported 24 attacks on health services, targeting hospitals and ambulances,” she added.
“27 people were killed in these attacks and 55 others were injured. Not only the health care system is under attack, but also the workers.”
Since last Monday morning, the Israeli occupation army has launched the “most violent and extensive” attack on Lebanon since the beginning of the confrontations with “Hezbollah” about a year ago, resulting in 572 deaths, including 50 children and 94 women, in addition to about 1,848 wounded and about 390,000 displaced, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The party and Palestinian factions in Lebanon are demanding an end to the war of extermination waged by the Israeli occupation with American support on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, which has left more than 137,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and a deadly famine.
