Lebanon: A ceasefire in name only

Dear Friend,

It has been one month since a ceasefire supposedly started in Lebanon, but for the families of thousands of people who have died, and the 1.2 million people who have been displaced since the conflict escalated in March, this is a ceasefire in name only. 

According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, at least 3,020 people have been killed and over 9,200 people injured since 2 March. This includes 824 people killed and more than 2,000 others injured since the 17 April ceasefire announcement. 

Attacks are ongoing, particularly in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces are conducting daily airstrikes, which continue to kill and injure hundreds of people.  

Despite international laws protecting healthcare workers in armed conflicts, they are also coming under attack alongside civilians. On 12 May, that included the killing of two paramedics who died instantly after being struck by an Israeli drone as they were helping patients who were injured in a previous attack. A third paramedic was also wounded. This attack was witnessed by the paramedics’ colleagues in another ambulance, who then had to collect their bodies from the scene. 

We urgently need your help to continue supporting the people of Lebanon. Please will you make a gift today? 

This incident is part of an alarming pattern. Over recent weeks, MSF teams in Lebanon have been witnessing the consequences of airstrikes, drone strikes, and artillery fire, which are damaging hospitals, ambulances, and medical equipment, and killing or injuring civilians, health workers, and first responders. 

Since 2 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded 169 attacks on healthcare causing 116 deaths and 263 injuries, further undermining people’s access to lifesaving services. 

There is no respite for the people of Lebanon, but your support could help Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to continue providing critical lifesaving care and humanitarian aid.

Our teams are supporting overwhelmed hospitals, and providing emergency medical and mental healthcare to communities still living through daily uncertainty and violence. With the support of committed donors like you, we can continue providing lifesaving care to people across Lebanon and the wider Middle East. 

Due to the high needs, medical teams in south Lebanon sometimes work up to 36 hours consecutively, at faster paces, and even in some cases having to coordinate several surgical procedures on the same patient at the same time, due to overwhelming needs or the severity of injuries. 

In response, MSF has sent a surgeon to support operating theatres, is training first responders, and is providing additional resources and equipment. Your donation could help MSF to continue delivering this much needed assistance.

People in Lebanon also continue to be forcibly displaced amid ongoing evacuation orders. Many are living in cramped and often unsanitary conditions in makeshift shelters and abandoned buildings.
 
The widespread destruction of entire communities, including the demolition of villages, ground incursions, and occupation of Lebanese territory, means that many of these people do not have a home to return to, even if they could.  

The announcement of the ceasefire brought hope of some relief for the people of Lebanon and their families. The reality is very different. 

The physical injuries and widespread displacement are taking a toll. The mental health of both our patients and staff is suffering greatly, with no end in sight to the hostilities. 

To respond to people’s mental health needs, our teams in Nabatiyeh and South Governorate are increasing the number and frequency of mobile clinics, reaching more remote communities and families whose mental health situation is deteriorating.

We can only continue this important work with your help. Please will you make a donation today to help the people of Lebanon, Gaza and the wider Middle East? 

No matter how long the unrest in the Middle East continues, we are committed to continuing to provide medical and humanitarian assistance in some of the world's most challenging circumstances. Friend, by giving a gift today, your support helps us be where the need is greatest across the world. 

It can be very unsettling to sit with the uncertainty of not knowing when or even if the crisis in the Middle East will end but rest assured that our staff - the majority of whom are locally hired - remain committed to helping our patients no matter what.  

Your support helps make that possible, and together, we can continue delivering the vital care so many people in the world desperately need.  

With gratitude,   

*Name has been changed to protect the patient’s identity.