25 September 2024
The past three days has seen some of the deadliest violence in Lebanon for decades as the Israeli military launched airstrikes across the country killing nearly 600 people, including 50 children, and injuring nearly 1,700 according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is deeply alarmed by the severe humanitarian impact of the Israeli military’s attacks on the civilian population of Lebanon, which includes around 250,000 Palestinian refugees, and calls for an immediate end to indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and healthcare facilities.
Since October 2023 and the beginning of Israel’s military assault on Gaza, there have been almost daily exchanges of fire across Lebanon’s southern border between Israel and Hezbollah. Some 111,000 people have been displaced from south Lebanon due to the ongoing violence, and 90,000 more are facing fresh displacement.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, already vulnerable due to overcrowding in refugee camps, poverty, discrimination and marginalisation in Lebanese society, and the denial of their right to return to their homeland, now face even greater risks. The Palestinian refugee communities that MAP serves, whether living within or outside the official Palestinian refugee camps, now face additional threats to their lives, health and wellbeing, exacerbating the permanent humanitarian crisis they endure.
MAP works in the 12 Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon and is ready to respond to increasing medical and humanitarian needs. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has established 12 shelters to receive any Palestinian refugees who are displaced, and MAP and our local partners are preparing to provide mental health and psychosocial support to families seeking refuge in these and in wider host communities. Our teams of community midwives are also preparing to provide services to displaced mothers and children in these locations.
If required, we are also ready to deploy our emergency medical teams, comprised of international healthcare experts, to help treat civilians and support the local health system. MAP is procuring supplies of blankets, hygiene kits, and medical supplies for the treatment of casualties which we will release if needed. We will keep supporters updated with our response as the situation develops.
Wafa Dakwar, MAP’s Director in Lebanon, said: “The situation is extremely tense here in Lebanon and the scale of human suffering is immense. People are being displaced with little to no warning, leaving everything behind. Our priority is to ensure that the most vulnerable, including Palestinian refugees, receive the urgent medical care and psychosocial support they need. But we need immediate action to halt this violence. Civilians cannot continue to pay the price.”
MAP calls on the international community to work urgently to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza. There must be an end to attacks on civilians, including healthcare personnel and facilities, and the UK Government must immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel to prevent their use in violations of international law.
Photo: People gather near a crater caused by an Israeli air raid attack in Beirut’s southern suburb. (Credit: Alamy Live News).
