Lebanon
MSF in Lebanon
Until the end of 2024.
Locally hired staff
International mobile staff
Humanitarian needs in Lebanon post-ceasefire
Four months after the ceasefire agreement reached on November 27 between Lebanon and Israel, humanitarian needs persist in Lebanon.
As of March 20, IOM estimates that more than 92,000 people remain displaced, some still in 21 collective shelters. Returnees find their homes destroyed, their civilian infrastructure, including water, electricity, and healthcare, as well as their livelihoods, particularly in areas heavily affected by Israeli bombardment, such as southern Lebanon, the suburbs of Beirut, and Baalbek-Hermel in the northeast of the country. With limited means to rebuild their lives and limited access to essential services, returnees and those still displaced face a protracted recovery period, leaving humanitarian needs extremely high.
Lebanon is currently grappling with the devastating consequences of war, and the road to recovery, both in terms of infrastructure and human resources, is still long.
More news on the situation in Lebanon here:
Our calls:
Given the already high number of civilian casualties, including many children, women, and health workers:
MSF is deeply concerned about the unfolding post-ceasefire period and calls on Israeli forces and Hezbollah to make serious and urgent efforts to prevent any further escalation. The ongoing violence and sporadic attacks are exacerbating the suffering of thousands of families in southern Lebanon, at a time when recovery is only just beginning and the road ahead remains long and difficult.
We remind all parties that civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected. The protection of medical personnel, facilities, and patients must also be guaranteed at all times.
Last update : March 20, 2025
Impact on civilians and internally displaced people
Persistent Israeli attacks and the failure of Israeli forces to withdraw from five Lebanese territories threaten the lives of the population and disrupt the delivery of vital humanitarian aid after months of war. This insecurity poses significant challenges, particularly for the safety of aid workers and patients, which severely impact planning. This can impact the timing and access capacity to the most affected areas, particularly when an urgent response is needed.
MSF is deeply concerned that a further escalation of violence or new attacks would exacerbate the suffering of thousands of families in southern Lebanon, further complicating an already difficult recovery.
According to a recent IOM report, more than 92,000 people remain displaced, some still in 21 collective shelters. Those who have returned find their homes destroyed. With limited means to rebuild their lives and limited access to essential services, returnees and those still displaced face a prolonged recovery period, resulting in extremely high humanitarian needs.
This crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of broader regional changes, further exacerbating Lebanon's fragile situation. The Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit in Lebanon reported that more than 93,000 people have arrived from Syria since the fall of the Assad government, seeking refuge in the country—a figure that continues to rise as the situation in Syria remains uncertain. Lebanon already hosts more than 1.5 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees, as well as approximately 250,000 migrant workers.
Access to Healthcare:
Communities, both returning and displaced, also face significant challenges accessing medical care due to damaged health facilities, staff shortages, and the cost of care, which is unaffordable for many after losing their livelihoods in recent months of war.
Syrians who have sought refuge in Lebanon since the fall of the Assad government are mainly in the governorates of Baalbek-Hermel and Akkar, living in dire conditions in overcrowded collective shelters, including mosques, converted schools, and makeshift tents. Many are in urgent need of healthcare, food, and other basic necessities, while limited access to safe water and sanitation is a growing concern and increases the risk of epidemics.
Attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel were also severe during the war, impacting access to care to this day. As of February 19, 2025, 25 primary healthcare centers and three hospitals remained closed, primarily in areas heavily affected by the war. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since October 7, 2023, 47% of attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon, or 65 out of 137, had resulted in fatalities as of November 21, 2024.
The current situation is exacerbating an already existing humanitarian crisis, exacerbating pre-existing needs. Like other sectors of the country, the healthcare system was already overburdened by severe economic and political unrest, which led to the emigration of a large proportion of medical personnel and compromised the overall capacity and resources of medical facilities. Already overwhelmed, local health centers are now facing increasing pressure as they attempt to cope with the war's impact on the healthcare system.
The war has generated a constant sense of fear for security and disrupted any normalcy in people's lives. Our teams are seeing immense needs for mental health and psychosocial support. According to local NGOs specializing in mental health support, supported by observations from MSF's mental health team, two-thirds of Lebanese people now have at least one mental health disorder, with an increase in cases of PTSD, depression and anxiety, particularly among children.
While the crisis affects a large majority of the country's population, minority groups such as Syrian refugees, migrant workers, and other non-Lebanese are facing even greater discrimination and exclusion from the humanitarian response, reducing their access to healthcare and humanitarian aid. These groups already suffered from social exclusion before the war and are therefore afraid to seek healthcare.
Many people have left their homes without access to their medications, particularly those related to chronic illnesses. Today, with their livelihoods destroyed and their savings, if any, depleted by the war, many can no longer afford to buy their lifesaving medicines.
The destruction of water infrastructure and agricultural land (the main sources of nutrition and livelihoods in the south of the country) raises concerns about the environmental impact of the war, including water contamination, ecosystem degradation, waste and debris management, and soil reclamation, which create fertile ground for the spread of infectious and waterborne diseases.
What is MSF doing?
- MSF operates 16 mobile medical teams in various governorates across the country, including Beirut, Bekaa, the South, Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, and Baalbek-Hermel, primarily providing primary healthcare and mental health support.
- MSF teams also distribute blankets, mattresses, and hygiene kits, and truck water supplies to schools and shelters where some people are still displaced, as well as to returnee areas.
- We also donate fuel and tons of medical and non-medical supplies to several hospitals, in addition to the trauma kits distributed throughout the country. We also train medical teams to manage mass casualty influxes.
- We also support the Lebanese Civil Defense in the south with medical and non-medical donations.
- We also launched a mental health hotline to address the growing mental health needs, particularly for people who cannot physically access our services.
- In addition to our emergency response, MSF manages and supports health facilities in five locations, providing general, pediatric, reproductive, and mental health care, treatment for non-communicable diseases, and health promotion activities.
Medical activities:
From 25 September 2024 to 19 February 2025:
- Medical consultations: 72,251
- Individual mental health sessions: 5,127
- Group mental health sessions: 6,260
- Calls to the mental health hotline: 342
- Wound care: 234
- Surgeries (*we no longer operate the hospital today, but we supported a surgical team in Sidon, South Lebanon, throughout the war – Hospital name: Turkish Government Emergency Hospital): 129
- Post-operative care: 26
- Trained healthcare staff: over 400 spread across 9 different hospitals
- Medical donations to hospitals: MSF imported nearly 120 tons of medical supplies into the country during the war and donated nearly 30 tons to hospitals and medical facilities in response to the emergency
Non-medical activities:
From September 25 to December 31, 2024
- Hygiene items distributed (detergents, disinfectants, soaps, sponges, etc.): 39,792 items
- Relief items distributed (blankets, mattresses, heaters, plastic sheeting for damaged homes to cover broken windows and doors): 146,098 items
- Hot meals distributed: 92,535 hot meals and 1,350 kg of dry food distributed
- Drinking water distributed: 123,565 liters
- Water distributed to shelters by truck: 31,476,250 liters
- Fuel/diesel distributed to hospitals: 75,000 liters
MSF history in Lebanon
MSF has maintained a continuous presence in Lebanon since 2008, ensuring access to free healthcare for the most vulnerable communities, including Lebanese citizens, displaced populations, refugees and migrant workers.
Healthcare services provided by our teams span from reproductive health support and mental health and psychosocial support services to the treatment of non-communicable diseases and routine vaccinations for children. In addition, our strategy involves strengthening access to care through reinforcing the capacities of healthcare providers at both local and national levels, aligning with our vision of fostering a sustainable, long-term response. This entails extensive staff training, the donation of essential medicines, incorporating mental health and social work services into these healthcare facilities, medical supplies, and the initiation of capacity-building programs for a diverse range of healthcare facilities throughout Lebanon. Additionally, we are partnering with local organizations and civil society initiatives to amplify community-led initiatives to address rapidly evolving needs.
For more details on MSF’s regular activities in Lebanon and the situation in Lebanon prior to this emergency, please refer to: Lebanon’s Activity Report 2023
Our activities in 2023
outpatient consultations
routine vaccinations
individual mental health consultations
births assisted
Lebanon hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees, 400,000 Palestinians and over 160,000 migrant workers, many of whom live in precarious conditions. Our teams assist the most vulnerable communities by providing reproductive, maternal and paediatric care, mental health support, treatment for chronic diseases, and routine vaccinations for children through our clinics across the country.
In addition, we are working to reinforce the national healthcare system and support local organisations affected by the socioeconomic crisis. This includes capacity building through training, and the provision of medicines and medical supplies to public healthcare centres, especially in Tripoli, northern Lebanon.
We are expanding collaborations with the Ministry of Health, local partners and other NGOs, such as Positive on Glucose (PoG), who advocate for individuals living with diabetes. With PoG, we conduct peer support sessions and staff training catering to the holistic needs of people with chronic diseases.
In mid-2023, we ceased our surgical activities in Bar Elias hospital, strategically reorienting our services to general care and support to the health system.
During the year, our teams also responded to health emergencies in various parts of the country, including the dire water and sanitation conditions in the northeast, where we offered treatment for water-borne diseases and distributed hygiene kits.
Following the escalation in conflict in southern Lebanon, we sent medical mobile teams to the Nabatiyeh area to address the growing needs of people who had been displaced since October 2023. We also provided trauma care and mass-casualty training in several hospitals across the country. In Ein Al-Hilweh camp, which hosts Palestinians, we treated people injured in armed clashes between rival factions.
In line with our aims to reduce our global carbon footprint, we installed solar panels in our clinics in Baalbek-Hermel.