A/HRC/3/2 page 44 170. According to international humanitarian law, medical units exclusively assigned to medical purposes must be respected in all circumstances. They lose their protection if they are being used, outside their humanitarian function, to commit acts harmful to the enemy.136 In this respect, the Commission finds that medical facilities were both the object of unjustified direct attacks and the victim of collateral damage. The Commission did not find any explanation by the Israeli authorities that could justify their military operations that affected, directly or indirectly, protected medical facilities. Israel’s general explanation that all infrastructure hit was used by the Hezbollah is insufficient to justify IDF’s violation of its obligation to abstain from carrying out attacks against protected medical facilities. 6. Medical personnel and access to medical and humanitarian relief 171. The Commission notes that the Red Cross Movement was not spared during the conflict, as indicated in several incidents reported by ICRC and LRC.137 In some cases, medical personnel were the victim of collateral damage. 172. The Commission took note that LRC reported nine different incidents involving ambulances and five others involving medical facilities that were targeted. In total, LRC had one volunteer killed, 14 staff members injured, three ambulances destroyed and four others damaged; one medical facility destroyed and four others damaged. The following three incidents involving LRC ambulances illustrate the Commission’s findings. 173. On 23 July, at 2315 hours, two LRC vehicles were hit by munitions in Qana. The two vehicles were clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem on the rooftop. The incident happened while first-aid workers were transferring wounded patients from one ambulance to another. According to LRC reports and witness’ accounts, one ambulance left Tibnin with three wounded people and three first-aid workers on board. The second ambulance left Tyre with three first-aid workers on board. Both vehicles met in Qana in order to transfer the patients from one ambulance to the other.138 As the Tyre ambulance was about to leave, it was hit by Israeli missiles. A few minutes later, as the personnel of the Tyre ambulance tried to call for assistance, the Tibnin ambulance was also hit by a missile. The missile struck the ambulance in the middle of the Red Cross painted on the roof. LRC staff succeeded in calling ICRC, which managed to contact IDF to request that the attack be stopped. The Red Cross workers hid for around two hours, unable to provide assistance to the injured persons who were still in the vehicles. As a result, nine people, including six Red Cross volunteers, were wounded.139 174. The Commission received information of another incident, which took place on 11 August, at 1750 hours. An ambulance with medical supplies on board was shelled by IDF on the road between Ain el Mazrab and Tibnin. A first strike hit the front of the vehicle, while a second shell hit the roof. The ambulance exploded and burned completely. Fortunately, the two LRC staff members were only superficially injured. 175. On the night of 11 August, people fleeing by car the area of Marjayoun came under fire from Israeli aircraft. Six dead and 32 wounded were evacuated by LRC to nearby hospitals. Among the fatalities was one LRC first-aid volunteer, who was killed while assisting a wounded person. An engineer from the Marjayoun hospital was also killed in the same incident.140