2024 Beirut medical center airstrike

Overview

On 4 October 2024, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike struck a medical center in central Beirut, Lebanon, during the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The strike killed at least nine people and injured more than 14. Seven members of medical staff, including two medics, were among the dead, according to a civil defence group linked to Hezbollah.

The Airstrike

The attack occurred in the early hours of 4 October 2024 and caused a fire to erupt in an apartment in the residential Bashoura district of Beirut, an area located close to the United Nations headquarters in Lebanon, the prime minister's office, and the Lebanese parliament. The medical center that was hit was situated on the second floor of a 12-storey building and belonged to the Islamic Health Organization, an entity linked to Hezbollah. Human rights experts have noted that affiliations with Hezbollah and Amal do not affect the protected status of hospitals under international law. Israel stated that it had targeted Hezbollah "assets" in the strike, but did not issue an evacuation order prior to the attack.

Allegations of White Phosphorus Use

Following the airstrike, Lebanese residents reported a smell resembling sulfur. The Lebanese state-run National News Agency accused Israel of illegally using white phosphorus munitions, which it characterized as a violation of international law.

Reactions

The strike drew international condemnation. Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, described the attack as a violation of international law, stating that the IDF had "targeted once again healthcare workers" and had killed civilians in a densely populated area.