GAZA, (PIC)
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon put civilians at grave risk of harm, calling for an international investigation into the recent hostilities.
“More than a thousand Israeli strikes across Lebanon that have killed hundreds of people and injured thousands since September 23, 2024, are placing civilians across the country at grave risk of harm,” HRW said today, Wednesday.
“The UN should urgently establish, and UN member countries should support, an international investigation into the recent hostilities in Lebanon and northern Israel and ensure that it is dispatched immediately to gather information and make findings as to violations of international law and recommendations for accountability,” HRW added.
“The Israeli military killed hundreds of people in Lebanon in just one day; thousands have been injured and forced to flee from their homes, and hundreds of homes, businesses, and farms have been destroyed” Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa HRW director, said
“It is paramount for Israel and Hezbollah to comply with the laws of war to minimize civilian harm,” she added.
The Israeli occupation army on September 24 claimed that it struck more than 1,600 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry said on the same day that the attacks killed 558 civilians, including 50 children and 94 women, and injured over 1,835, while damaging “hospitals, medical centers and ambulances.”
Tens of thousands of Lebanese people have since been displaced, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
On September 17 and 18, thousands of pagers and two-way radios exploded across Lebanon, killing at least 37 people, including children and medical workers, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. US officials and others affirmed at the time that Israel was responsible for the attacks.
