'Laws Under Attack': ICRC Sounds the Alarm Over Strikes on Hospitals in Conflict Areas

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a bold new campaign, 'Laws Under Attack', to draw global attention to the repeated targeting of hospitals and medical personnel in conflict areas — despite the Geneva Convention’s explicit protections established over seven decades ago.

When violence escalated in Lebanon in 2024, the last operational hospital in southern Lebanon became a direct casualty of targeted attacks. In a powerful statement to the world, the ICRC partnered with TBWA\RAAD to transform the very laws being violated into an urgent plea for accountability.

Amid the rubble and scars of the Hospital, Lebanese muralist and calligrapher Ghaleb Hawila meticulously inscribed articles from the Geneva Convention onto the building’s shattered walls. Each crack and burn stands as concrete evidence of international law violations — an arresting reminder that these laws must be honoured and not ignored.

This unprecedented initiative does more than commemorate the resilience of frontline medical workers — it demands that governments and armed groups alike respect humanitarian law and protect critical medical facilities. It is a resounding call to the global community to remember that laws written in ink cannot be erased by bombs.

“This campaign is crucial”, said Simone Casabianca–Aeschlimann, head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon, “because it reminds us of what is needed and what can actually be done by the parties to a conflict to spare the civilians. It also ensures that medical and humanitarian teams are protected and can perform their duties in a dignified manner.”