BEIRUT, November 19. /TASS/. At least 212 health workers have been killed in Lebanon since tensions escalated in the Middle East in October 2023, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report.

"Since October 2023, the World Health Organization says there have been 136 attacks on health facilities, resulting in 212 deaths among health workers, with 70 people having been killed just last week. These attacks have forced 21 of 178 hospitals - or 13% of all hospitals in Lebanon - to cease operations or reduce services, drastically limiting access to essential health care," the report reads.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, launching air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave. On September 23, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Northern Arrows against the Lebanon-based Hezbollah Shia movement, carrying out massive airstrikes on its military targets. On October 1, Israel announced the start of a limited ground operation in the border areas of southern Lebanon.