First Lebanese Red Cross paramedic killed by Israel since October 2023 laid to rest

The southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Wednesday bid farewell to Lebanese Red Cross paramedic Youssef Assaf, who died of wounds sustained while carrying out a rescue mission after an Israeli strike on the town of Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district on 9 March.

Assaf was injured when Israeli forces targeted the ambulance in which he and a colleague—who was also wounded—were heading to conduct a rescue operation in Majdal Zoun, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

A source in the Lebanese Red Cross told The New Arab that Assaf is the first paramedic from the organisation killed by Israeli bombardment since October 2023, when Lebanon's "support front" in defence of Gaza opened along the southern border. Several Red Cross members were wounded during that period, the source added.

Assaf's death raises the total number of Lebanese Red Cross personnel killed since the 1980s and the Lebanese civil war to 16.

Funeral prayers were held on Wednesday afternoon at the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle for the Melkite Greek Catholics in Tyre. A large procession accompanied the farewell ceremony, with Red Cross and Civil Defence colleagues paying their final respects while carrying his photographs and the flags of emergency and health organisations.

Many expressed deep grief, describing Assaf as a "martyr of humanity" who dedicated himself to serving others despite the dangers and repeated Israeli bombardment that has often targeted the health sector.

Assaf volunteered with the Lebanese Red Cross in Tyre on 27 June 2025 and also served as a volunteer with the Tyre maritime rescue centre affiliated with the General Directorate of Civil Defence. Friends and colleagues said he was known for his dedication to helping others and never hesitated to perform humanitarian duties despite security risks.

In a statement mourning his death, the Lebanese Red Cross said Assaf had been among paramedics who "carried the banner of humanity", standing by the vulnerable and those in need in both peace and war.

The organisation said he was among the first responders who rushed to assist victims after a site in Majdal Zoun was struck on 9 March, and that he died of wounds sustained while carrying out his humanitarian duty to save lives.

The Red Cross stressed that paramedics and medical personnel "are not military targets" and must be protected under international humanitarian law and international conventions.

Lebanon's health ministry condemned what it described as Israel's targeting of emergency organisations and a Red Cross ambulance, calling it the first such attack on the organisation since October 2023. The ministry renewed calls for maximum protection for healthcare workers and humanitarian organisations in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Since the latest escalation began on 2 March, after Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel, Israeli forces have intensified air strikes and ground incursions into Lebanese territory.

In the space of one week, more than 570 people have been killed and over 1,444 wounded, while displacement has approached one million people.

The health sector has been among the targets, both during the October 2023 war—which expanded in September 2024—and in the current escalation that began on 2 March 2026. Israeli strikes have increasingly targeted emergency crews, including centres affiliated with the Islamic Health Authority and the Islamic Risala Scout Association in southern Lebanon.

According to the health ministry, since 2 March 14 healthcare workers have been killed and 45 injured. Authorities also recorded 21 Israeli attacks on emergency organisations, eight attacks on medical and emergency centres, and seven attacks on vehicles.

In a separate development, Lebanese Red Cross Secretary-General Georges Kettaneh told President Joseph Aoun that the organisation remains ready to respond to evolving security developments.

Kettaneh said the Red Cross has around 12,000 volunteers across Lebanon, including 5,000 paramedics, equipped with ambulances and emergency equipment.

During a meeting at Baabda Palace on Wednesday, he said the organisation continues to provide relief assistance, shelter, primary healthcare, psychological support, and blood supplies for hospitals.

President Aoun praised the sacrifices of Red Cross workers and offered his condolences to Kettaneh over Assaf's death, which occurred while the paramedic was transporting wounded people following the strike on Majdal Zoun.