Lebanon facing 'indescribable' humanitarian crisis: Doctors Without Borders

GENEVA

Lebanon is grappling with a "devastating and indescribable" humanitarian crisis as Israel continues its air and ground attacks, according to the medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Lebanon.

Speaking to Anadolu, Luna Hammad reported that over one million people have been displaced from areas affected by bombing and violence, including southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern Beirut suburbs.

"Many people are living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, facing severe challenges," Hammad said.

"Even basic necessities like clean water, food, and sanitation facilities are crucial to prevent disease outbreaks are not available," she added.

Hammad said the country lacks the capacity to respond to this "immense crisis." She noted the crisis is exacerbated by Lebanon's pre-existing economic struggles, the aftermath of the Beirut explosion in 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hammad said Israel has been targeting health workers and infrastructure, complicating the situation further.

The coordinator said more than 800 shelters and schools have opened to accommodate the displaced, but many are still searching for refuge. She said Doctors Without Borders is striving to provide medical support, but faces significant security challenges.

She stressed the urgent need for health providers to move freely within Lebanon and called for additional international support, both monetary and logistical.

"The crisis is now very critical, and if it continues, the situation will become disastrous," she warned.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,323 people, injuring over 3,700 others, and displacing more than 1.2 million people.

The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed over 42,000 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

Despite international warnings that the Mideast was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, it expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.