Doctors Without Borders announced in a statement, “Lebanon is witnessing the largest escalation in the conflict since the 2006 Lebanon War, with nearly 1,300 people killed over 16 days, between September 16 and October 1, according to the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon. The intense Israeli bombing forced more than a million people to flee their homes, according to local authorities.
She added: “We at Doctors Without Borders have expanded the scope of our emergency response and mobilized teams across the country to provide urgent medical, psychological and social support to the displaced. In the early hours of Monday, September 23, the Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation targeting dozens of towns in various Lebanese governorates, including This includes southern Lebanon, Nabatieh, Baalbek-Hermel, and the densely populated southern suburb of Beirut. The continued bombing on September 27 led to a mass exodus from these areas, in addition to parts of Mount Lebanon, where residents sought safety in other places until September 29, the Lebanese authorities estimated “More than one million people have been displaced, mostly from southern Lebanon and the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut. Intense bombardment has forced many people to flee several times since the violence escalated in October 2023, often without enough time to collect necessary items.”
She continued: “There are currently 875 shelters across Lebanon, and more than 70 percent are full, according to local authorities. Most of the displaced need assistance urgently, having been evacuated without basic needs, while the communities and shelters hosting them are in urgent need of assistance.” Support.”
She noted, “In response to the tragic situation, we at MSF expanded the scope of our emergency response and sent various mobile medical teams – including doctors, nurses, psychologists, counselors and health promotion officers – to schools and other shelters across the country. These teams have so far provided more From 1,780 general medical consultations over the past week and continues to provide assistance to displaced individuals and families, more teams are on their way to reach areas in need of support. In addition, MSF is donating essential items such as mattresses, blankets and hygiene kits to displaced families in locations including: Sidon, Tripoli and several locations in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. We are also distributing meals and drinking water, as well as delivering large quantities of washing water to shelters in Beirut and Mount Lebanon to ensure basic hygiene standards in buildings that are often not equipped to shelter people, as of October 2nd, with 6,523 kits Hygiene supplies, 16,118 liters of drinking water, 643 mattresses, 699 blankets, 7,000 liters of fuel for hospitals, and 713,000 liters of water for shelters across the country.”
She noted, “With the aim of supporting health care facilities, Doctors Without Borders donated more than ten tons of medical supplies that it had stored in hospitals across the country since the beginning of last November. The organization also continues to send a mobile medical unit to provide basic health care and first aid.” “Our teams also conducted mass casualty preparedness training for 117 healthcare personnel in hospitals across the country,” she said, stressing that “Lebanon remains committed to providing urgent medical, psychological and social support to those affected.” .
The medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Lebanon, Dr. Luna Hammad: “Families have fled their homes in search of safety. Many of them are seeking shelter in ill-equipped and overcrowded shelters. The displaced are among the groups most in need. They are children, women, the elderly, and people with special physical needs, and they live in miserable conditions, including limited access.” “For clean water, sanitation, and basic health care services, the needs are enormous.”
She added: “Many of the displaced are children who are traumatized by violence, fear of bombing, and losing their homes.”
