More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon this month by intensified Israeli attacks, according to local authorities, while the United Nations and human rights organizations warn that the bombings may constitute war crimes.
Lebanon's Health Ministry announced on Thursday that since March 2, Israeli attacks have killed 1,001 people, including 79 women, 118 children and 40 health workers. More than 2,584 others have been injured.
The attacks escalated in early March after the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in response to the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Israeli bombing has forced more than a million people from their homes in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. The Israeli military has hit residential buildings and various infrastructure, while also expanding its ground operation in the south of the country, stating that its target is Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has responded by launching rocket barrages into northern Israel and engaging in clashes with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said some of the Israeli attacks may amount to war crimes. Amnesty International also called on Israel to stop attacks on health personnel and facilities.
According to the organization, the deliberate targeting of doctors, ambulances, and hospitals constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and may be considered a war crime.
