There are moments when the news slaps you so hard you have to read it three times to make sure you understood correctly. This morning, learning that Israel had killed 12 medical personnel in a clinic in southern Lebanon, I had one of those moments of stupor. Not because it's surprising — sadly no — but because the justification that accompanies it reveals how much we've normalized the unacceptable.
The New Doctrine: "They Heal, Therefore They Collaborate"
According to the Israeli army, these ambulances and medical centers are "illegally used by Hezbollah." Free translation: if you treat someone who might be affiliated with Hezbollah, you become a legitimate military target. Read more: universities become military Brilliant logic! Imagine if we applied this elsewhere:
French hospitals treating gang members become targets? Canadian emergency rooms welcoming Hell's Angels lose their protection? Chinese clinics treating political dissidents can be bombed? Absurd? No more absurd than what's happening in Lebanon.
But wait, it gets even more delicious. The Israeli army "warns" that it "might strike" other medical facilities. How thoughtful! It's a bit like an arsonist warning firefighters that he might burn down their station — for their safety, of course.
The Disturbing Numbers
Since March 2nd, 26 healthcare workers and first responders have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Twenty-six. In twelve days. That's more than two deaths per day among those whose only crime is saving lives.
To put this in perspective: in 2023, Doctors Without Borders recorded 286 attacks against health structures worldwide. Read more: breaking analysis hegseths Lebanon, with its 26 deaths in twelve days, is breaking all records for violence against medical personnel. Congratulations!
The Art of Flipping International Law
What fascinates me is the rhetorical audacity. Israel doesn't say "we made a mistake" or "it was collateral damage." No, they claim the right to kill doctors because they treat the "wrong" people. It's legal genius! Why respect the Geneva Conventions when you can reinterpret them?
The Geneva Conventions, those dusty old things from 1949, clearly stipulate that medical personnel are protected, even in wartime. But apparently, that was before the invention of "modern warfare" where healing becomes an act of complicity.
The Americans did the same in Iraq and Afghanistan, bombing hospitals under the pretext that they harbored "terrorists." The Russians did it in Syria. The Saudis in Yemen. And now Israel in Lebanon. It seems like killing doctors has become the new international sport of major military powers.
The World's Reaction: Deafening Silence
And meanwhile, what does the international community do? It "strongly condemns" and "calls for calm." Wow, such firmness! Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's leader, announces that his group is "ready for a long confrontation with Israel." Surprise! When you kill doctors, the other side doesn't turn the other cheek.
Canada, self-proclaimed champion of human rights, will probably issue a statement "concerned about the escalation." France will "deeply regret" these civilian losses. The United States will recall their "unwavering support for Israel's right to defend itself" while deploring the "regrettable losses." And China will denounce "Western hypocrisy" while continuing to sell weapons to everyone.
Programmed Escalation
This attack is part of an escalation that began after the death of Ayatollah Khamenei in American-Israeli strikes. Yes, you read that right: the United States and Israel killed Iran's supreme leader, and now everyone pretends to be surprised that it's degenerating.
It's like setting fire to your neighbor's house and then being amazed that he comes to put out the fire at your place. The logic of escalation is implacable: you kill our leader, we attack your allies, you bomb our hospitals, we target your civilians. And so on, until no one remembers who started it.
The Normalization of Horror
What terrifies me most is how much we're getting used to it. Twenty years ago, killing 12 healthcare workers at once would have made headlines for weeks. Today, it's a news brief in the international section, squeezed between weather and sports.
We're normalizing the idea that doctors, paramedics, nurses can be legitimate targets. That healing becomes a political act. That humanitarian work no longer exists.
The Terrifying Precedent
If we accept Israeli logic, we open Pandora's box. Tomorrow, any country will be able to bomb any hospital by claiming it treats "enemies." Russians will be able to target Ukrainian doctors treating soldiers. Chinese will be able to strike clinics treating Hong Kong protesters. Americans will be able to bomb hospitals welcoming "illegal" migrants.
That's the legacy of this war: having transformed the act of healing into an act of war.
VERDICT: 1/10 for humanity, 10/10 for effectiveness in destroying the last vestiges of international law. When killing doctors becomes an acceptable strategy, we've definitively lost our moral compass.