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12-08-2006  News release 06/93 
Lebanon – Israel: ICRC deplores increasing number of civilian casualties and lack of respect for medical mission
Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) deplores the heavy impact of hostilities on civilians and on Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) emergency medical personnel and assets.

On the night of 11 August hundreds of people fleeing the area of Marjayoun by car came under fire from Israeli aircraft. Six dead and 32 wounded were evacuated by the LRC to nearby hospitals. Among the dead was one LRC first-aid volunteer, Mikhael Jbayleh, who was killed while assisting a wounded person. The ICRC and the LRC are deeply shocked by the loss of their colleague.

In another incident earlier that day, two volunteers were injured when an LRC ambulance was hit directly by two projectiles while heading to an LRC centre in Tebnine, east of Tyre. According to LRC sources, no hostilities were taking place in the vicinity at the time of the incident.

The ICRC deplores the continuing lack of respect for the rules governing the conduct of hostilities, such as the distinction between military objectives and civilian persons and objects.

Medical personnel, ambulances and other means of medical transport must be respected and protected, and their work must be facilitated.

The ICRC has repeatedly expressed its concerns about insufficient precautions taken in attacks by the parties to the armed conflict. It is unacceptable that after more than 30 days of ongoing military operations all necessary precautions to spare civilian life and those engaged in medical work have still not been taken.



For further information, please contact:
Carla Haddad, ICRC Geneva, tel. +41 22 730 24 05 or +41 79 217 32 26
Annick Bouvier, ICRC Geneva, tel. +41 22 730 24 58 or +41 79 217 32 24
Hisham Hassan, ICRC Beirut, tel. +961 1 739 297 or +961 35 42 839
Roland Huguenin, ICRC Tyre, tel. +961 3 35 62 91
Bana Sayeh, ICRC Jerusalem, tel. +972 2 582 88 45 or +972 57 880 91 93

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12-08-2006