Lebanon

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) expanded activities in Lebanon following the intensification of Israeli bombardments and ground incursions in September 2024.

Read full article in the 2024 International Activity Report 

A year has passed since Israel escalated its war in Lebanon, yet the humanitarian crisis is far from over.

The war in Lebanon erupted amid an ongoing economic crisis, in which people were already struggling to obtain medical care. In 2024, 1 million people were displaced from their homes, while 2 million required urgent humanitarian aid.

In Lebanon since 1976, MSF has run clinics providing treatment for non-communicable diseases, as well as pediatric, reproductive, and mental health care. Since September 2024, we have scaled up our activities to meet the needs of people affected by the war.

MSF's response in Lebanon —

In Tripoli, we covered treatment costs for noncommunicable diseases at external clinics, trained medical staff, and donated medicines. In Beirut’s southern suburbs, our clinics in Bourj Al-Barajneh and Bourj Hammoud provided reproductive healthcare, mental health support, and general consultations to the local community, including Palestinian and Syrian refugees, as well as migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia. 

By mid-2024, we had integrated reproductive and mental health services into Al-Makassed healthcare centre in Wadi Khaled. In BaalbekHermel, we offered basic and reproductive healthcare, treatment for chronic diseases, and mental health support through clinics in Arsal and Hermel. We also facilitated emergency referrals for specialised care. In August, we partnered with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health to conduct a cholera vaccination campaign in Arsal, focusing on overcrowded refugee communities. 

Following the escalation in Israeli bombardments and ground incursions in September, MSF sent 22 mobile medical teams to heavily affected areas, including Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Baalbek-Hermel, and Akkar, to deliver trauma care and mental health services, and support healthcare centres. We strengthened hospitals’ capacity by conducting mass-casualty training and supplying tonnes of medical and relief materials. 

In Saida, we supported the Turkish hospital by donating medical supplies and assisting the surgical team. We also launched a telephone helpline to offer remote mental health support. These efforts were crucial, as health facilities were unable to cope with the rising number of casualties and the destruction of their infrastructure. 

In addition to these medical activities, we distributed hygiene kits, blankets, mattresses, and water to shelters for displaced people, and supplied hot meals for hundreds of families during the months of war. 

After the November ceasefire, many displaced people returned to destroyed homes. Others were too afraid to return. Access to healthcare remains extremely limited, due to widespread damage to infrastructure and unaffordable costs. The war has been particularly devastating for healthcare staff and facilities. The World Health Organization reported that 226 health workers and patients were killed, and 199 injured, between 7 October 2023 and 18 November 2024. 

A look back in pictures, one year after the intensification of the war in Lebanon led by Israel —