Israeli strike on Red Cross ambulance kills paramedic in Lebanon

A paramedic has died after an Israeli strike hit an ambulance belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, cited by US media.

The strike occurred in the southern district of Tyre. The victim was one of two paramedics who were wounded while conducting a rescue operation in the town of Majdal Zoun, the ministry said.

The injured medic later died from his wounds.

The incident comes amid what the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described on Wednesday as a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation affecting more than one million people across the country.

“Military operations continue to directly affect almost the entire population living south of the Litani River, as well as some areas of Baalbek province, the Bekaa Valley, and large parts of the southern suburbs of Beirut,” the UN agency said.

According to Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit, at least 570 people have been killed since Israel began carrying out strikes on the country last week. Nearly 760,000 people have also been forced to flee their homes.

Healthcare facilities across Lebanon are now overwhelmed. OCHA said that new waves of Israeli airstrikes and large-scale evacuation orders have “led to a sharp increase in internally displaced persons.”

The agency also warned about safety concerns and difficult conditions in shelters, particularly affecting women and girls.

By Tamilla Hasanova