Urgent need for assistance as Israeli bombardment causes unprecedented displacement in Lebanon

In the early hours of Monday, September 23, the Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation targeting dozens of towns across Lebanon's governorates, including South Lebanon, Nabatieh, Baalbek-Hermel, and the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut. Further bombardment on September 27 led to mass displacement from these areas, as well as parts of Mount Lebanon, as residents sought safety elsewhere.

Lebanese authorities estimate that more than 1 million people have been displaced, primarily from southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs. Many people have been forced to flee multiple times since clashes began in October 2023, often with little time to gather essential items.

More than 70 percent of the 875 shelters across Lebanon are already full, according to national authorities. Most displaced people are in urgent need of assistance, along with the communities and shelters hosting them.

"Families are fleeing their homes in search of safety. Many of them are seeking refuge in underprepared and overcrowded shelters,” said Dr. Luna Hammad, MSF medical coordinator in Lebanon. “People who have been displaced are very vulnerable—children, women, elders, and people with physical disabilities—living in terrible conditions including with limited access to clean water, sanitation, and basic health care services. The needs are huge."

MSF responds with mobile clinics, essential aid, and mental health support

In response to the dire situation, MSF has scaled up our emergency response and sent various mobile medical teams including doctors, nurses, psychologists, counselors, and health promoters, to schools and shelters across the country. These teams have already provided over 1,780 general medical consultations over the past week and continue to provide assistance to displaced people, while more teams are on the way to reach areas in need of support.

MSF is also donating essential items such as mattresses, blankets, and hygiene kits to displaced families in locations including Saida, Tripoli, and several sites 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 structures that are often not equipped to house people.

As of October 2, we have donated 6,523 hygiene kits, 4,250 gallons of drinking water, 643 mattresses, 699 blankets, 1,850 gallons of fuel for hospitals, and 188,000 gallons of water to shelters across the country.

“My children tell me they would rather die under bombing than to live like this,” said Alia. “The school was shaking all night. We consider ourselves safe here for now, but what if Israel decides to target schools?”

To support health care facilities, MSF has donated 1,850 of fuel to hospitals across the country and has shared over 10 tonnes of medical supplies that had been prepositioned in hospitals since the beginning of last November. MSF has also been sending a mobile medical unit to provide primary health care, psychological first aid, and health promotion to displaced and affected communities in southern Lebanon. Our teams have also conducted mass casualty preparedness training for 117 health care staff in hospitals across the country.

The traumas of displacement

In Baalbek-Hermel, where MSF has been running a project for over 13 years with two primary health care clinics, the recent escalation in violence has forced the closure of one clinic due to heavy bombardment, while the other clinic, in Arsal, continues to operate at limited capacity. Despite the challenging conditions, teams provided essential medications for patients with chronic diseases, aiming to supply a two-month stock. Many of our staff in the governorate, like thousands across the country, are still sheltering as airstrikes continue. Our clinic in Burj al Barajneh, south of Beirut, has also been closed due to Israeli bombardment of the area.

MSF mobile medical teams on the ground in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and Tripoli are seeing patients with chronic diseases who fled their homes without their medications and have been unable to access treatment for days.

"Many of the displaced individuals are children," added Dr. Hammad, "dealing with trauma from the violence, fear of bombings, and the loss of their homes."

MSF’s mental health teams are witnessing immense needs for psychological and psychosocial support. Our psychologists and counselors are providing psychological first aid to people who have been displaced, while our mental health helplines are receiving over 100 calls daily from people struggling with rising mental health challenges amid the fear and displacement.

Protecting civilians and health care workers

MSF is gravely concerned about the ongoing bombing campaign in Lebanon, much of which targets densely populated urban areas. We urge the protection of civilians, health care workers, medical facilities, and ambulances. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Public Health, over 50 health personnel have been killed in the clashes since last October. Many MSF staff in Lebanon are displaced themselves; some have lost loved ones or have family members who have been injured.

“We risked our lives to get out,” said Jabine, a citizen who fled from Jibsheet in southern Lebanon who is now taking refuge in an abandoned office building near downtown Beirut. She is one of over 3,500 people currently sheltering in these structures, where up to 30 share a single bathroom and many are still waiting to be assigned rooms. Many of the shelters are abandoned buildings or makeshift schools that lack basic amenities, including some that have no doors or windows to shield the people inside from the elements.

The current crisis has put immense pressure on Lebanon's health care and humanitarian response capabilities, which were already strained by years of economic crisis.

With many people still on the streets, in open areas, and even seeking refuge on the beach in Beirut, humanitarian needs continue to grow. As winter approaches, the harsh conditions put people at even greater risk. MSF teams in Lebanon remain committed to providing urgent medical and psychosocial support to those affected.

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