United Nations: 17 hospitals in Lebanon have been damaged and 135 health workers have been killed since the escalation of hostilities

The UN office reported that an attack occurred near Hiram Hospital in Tire District, South Governorate, resulting in the injury of ten of its workers, and damage to the hospital’s buildings and vehicles.

The office explained, citing authorities, that this is at least the fifth incident to affect Hiram Hospital since the escalation began on March 2.

In the same context, the World Health Organization reported that 17 hospitals in Lebanon were damaged during the escalation, including the three hospitals in Tyre. In addition, 135 health care workers and first responders were killed, and about 400 others were injured. The United Nations stressed the need to protect hospitals and medical workers at all times, in accordance with international law.

OCHA reported that humanitarian partners continue to support affected families across the country. Since the start of the escalation, more than 182,000 people have received basic relief supplies.

Israeli military activity continues

On the other hand, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon reported (UNIFIL) that it continues to monitor intensive military activity of the Israeli army in its areas of operations. This activity is characterized by heavy armored movements, large-scale engineering and demolition work, and continuous logistical movement.

UNIFIL reported monitoring intense air activity yesterday, Thursday, in which combat aircraft and various unmanned aerial systems participated in the mission’s area of ​​operations. UNIFIL recorded 72 violations of Lebanese airspace by the Israeli army, totaling more than 110 hours of flight time. Israeli army fighter jets carried out eight air strikes in the UNIFIL area of ​​operations yesterday, Thursday.

The force reported monitoring 531 air routes, 526 of which were launched from Israeli army positions south of the Blue Line and within the UNIFIL area of ​​operations, and five routes were presumed to have been launched by Hezbollah.

UNIFIL facilitates nine humanitarian missions

On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL facilitated nine humanitarian missions, in coordination with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and in cooperation with the Israeli army: eight of them in Sector West, specifically in Tyre, and one in Sector East.

Yesterday, Thursday, a campaign was launched in Beirut, funded by UNIFIL and UNESCO, to combat misleading and false information, in cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Information.

The campaign includes short videos that all encourage fact-checking and the responsible use of freedom of expression. It aims to encourage the public to verify information before sharing content online, and to raise awareness of the misleading information circulating.