Stuart Hazell PhD MASM GAICD

Lebanon - Around 2pm Sunday, Israeli forces struck a densely populated residential area in Beirut, only meters from Rafik Hariri Public Hospital, where MSF is supporting with an ER doctor. A mass-casualty influx followed: people bleeding, some carried on shoulders. In the first hour, 4 were killed and nearly 40 injured; more casualties are feared as rubble is cleared. “We are seeing elderly people and adolescents arriving with critical injuries to the head, chest and abdomen, including shrapnel wounds,” says Dr. Luna Hammad, MSF Medical Coordinator, from the ER at Rafik Hariri Public Hospital. “When strikes hit crowded residential areas without warning, the consequences are severe: both in human casualties and in hospitals’ capacity to respond.” MSF condemns this attack on civilians in a highly populated area and calls for the protection of civilians and health facilities. Strikes this close to a hospital spread fear and can stop people from seeking lifesaving care. MSF is donating a mass-casualty kit and will continue supporting hospitals with medical expertise and essential medical and non-medical supplies. Civilians cannot be collateral damage.

Forensic probe finds Israeli forces shot Gaza medics at point blank range, fired over 900 rounds —— A joint investigation by Forensic Architecture and Earshot—published by Drop Site News—has concluded that Israeli forces fired more than 900 bullets at a convoy of clearly marked emergency workers in Tal al-Sultan, southern Gaza, killing 15 aid personnel during a two-hour assault on 23 March 2025. The victims included eight members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six Palestinian Civil Defense workers, and one UN staff member. The findings, based on audio analysis, video evidence, satellite imagery, and survivor testimony, indicate that several aid workers were shot at close range, some from as little as one meter away. The reconstruction shows Israeli soldiers positioned on elevated ground with a clear line of sight to ambulances and rescue vehicles with emergency lights activated. At least 93 percent of the recorded gunfire was directed at the convoy, with the majority of shots fired within five and a half minutes and at least eight shots fired at point blank range. Investigators say troops advanced toward the vehicles while shooting and carried out what they described as execution-style killings. The bodies were later discovered in a mass grave, and the vehicles were crushed and buried under sand. Israel’s military initially issued conflicting accounts before concluding in an internal inquiry that the incident resulted from operational failures and poor visibility, rejecting allegations of execution and recommending no criminal charges. The report’s authors and legal experts say the evidence points to serious violations of international humanitarian law and reflects a broader pattern of attacks on protected medical personnel amid ongoing concerns over accountability.