1976 — 2026
50 years of MSF in Lebanon
From the civil war to today’s emergencies, MSF has stood alongside people in Lebanon with independent medical care — wherever the need is greatest.
From the civil war to the 2006 war
Care in the middle of conflict.
MSF’s work in Lebanon began with emergency care amid a raging war, at a time when the organisation was still finding its footing and shaping how it would respond to crises in the decades that followed.
After the civil war, teams supported the Bir Hassan dispensary in southern Beirut, providing medical care and prenatal consultations to Palestinian, Lebanese, and displaced communities.
In 2006, civilians were again trapped by an Israeli war. With few ways in, MSF turned to the sea, securing safe passage and transporting 75 tonnes of supplies from Cyprus to Beirut.
In pictures
A visual thread through five decades of care.
A focused visual sequence from MSF’s work in Lebanon, balancing campaign artwork with archive and field photography.
Care didn’t stop after the fighting
After the fighting, care continued.
In 2008, MSF opened a mental health centre in Bourj El-Barajneh, near one of Beirut’s largest Palestinian refugee camps. This was the start of MSF’s continuous presence in Lebanon.
As the war in Syria forced hundreds of thousands of people into Lebanon, MSF expanded its response to meet growing needs.
Since 2019
When healthcare became harder to reach.
Since 2019, healthcare has become increasingly out of reach for many. COVID-19 overwhelmed an already strained health system. The Beirut port explosion left thousands with urgent medical and mental health needs.
COVID-19
MSF transformed its hospital in the Bekaa Valley into a COVID-19 facility and supported an isolation centre in Siblin.
Beirut blast
The Beirut port explosion left thousands with urgent medical and mental health needs.
Cholera
In 2022, MSF opened cholera treatment units, supported oral rehydration points, distributed hygiene kits, and supported vaccination activities.
The current response
MSF is supporting healthcare centres across the country.
Since October 2023, repeated escalations of war marked by heavy bombardments have driven forcible displacement and rising medical needs.
Today, MSF is working alongside the Ministry of Public Health to support hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the country through donations, fuel, trauma care, and emergency interventions.
Read more about our response to the war50 years of MSF in Lebanon
Care based on need
For fifty years, MSF has provided independent medical care in Lebanon.
Guided only by medical needs, care has reached Palestinian refugees, Syrian families, migrant workers, and Lebanese communities living through conflict and economic collapse.
This is what MSF’s work in Lebanon has meant: 50 years of healing hands, showing up again and again, right where it hurts.
50 years of MSF in Lebanon
From the civil war to today’s emergencies, MSF has stood alongside people in Lebanon with independent medical care — wherever the need is greatest.
From the civil war to the 2006 war
Care in the middle of conflict.
MSF’s work in Lebanon began with emergency care amid a raging war, at a time when the organisation was still finding its footing and shaping how it would respond to crises in the decades that followed. After the civil war, teams supported the Bir Hassan dispensary in southern Beirut, providing medical care and prenatal consultations to Palestinian, Lebanese, and displaced communities. Our team also supported surgical care for war casualties in south Lebanon.
Our team later worked in Akkar, near the Syrian border, and in Jezzine, South Lebanon where MSF supported emergency medical services during the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon.
In 2006, civilians were again trapped by an Israeli war, as damaged roads and an air and sea blockade cut off access to basic needs. With few ways in, MSF turned to the sea, securing safe passage, and together with Greenpeace, transporting 75 tonnes of supplies from Cyprus to Beirut.
In pictures
A visual thread through five decades of care.
A focused visual sequence from MSF’s work in Lebanon, balancing campaign artwork with archive and field photography.
Care didn’t stop after the fighting
After the fighting, care continued.
In 2008, MSF opened a mental health centre in Bourj El-Barajneh, near one of Beirut’s largest Palestinian refugee camps. This was the start of MSF’s continuous presence in Lebanon. The centre provided psychological and psychiatric care and supported the integration of mental health into existing services.
As the war in Syria forced hundreds of thousands of people into Lebanon, MSF expanded its response to meet growing needs. Our teams donated emergency supplies to health centres near the Syrian border and opened a mental health programme in Wadi Khaled.
Care reached people based on their medical needs — Syrian refugees who had fled the war, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, vulnerable Lebanese communities and those returning from Syria — regardless of their status.
Since 2019
When healthcare became harder to reach.
Since 2019, healthcare has become increasingly out of reach for many. COVID-19 overwhelmed an already strained health system. The Beirut port explosion left thousands with urgent medical and mental health needs.
But for many patients, each new emergency did not come in isolation, as they were already dealing with interrupted treatment, displacement, and the rising cost of care.
COVID-19
When Covid-19 spread in 2020, MSF transformed its hospital in Bar Elias, in the Bekaa Valley, into a Covid-19 facility and supported an isolation centre in Siblin, in the South of the country.
Beirut blast
The Beirut port explosion left thousands with urgent medical and mental health needs.
The current response
MSF is supporting hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the country.
Since October 2023, repeated escalations of war marked by heavy bombardments have driven forcible displacement and rising medical needs. MSF deployed mobile teams to Nabatiyeh, provided trauma care and mass-casualty training, treated people injured in Ein el-Hilweh camp, and later deployed 22 mobile medical teams across Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Baalbek-Hermel, and Akkar.
Today, MSF is working alongside the Ministry of Public Health to support hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the country through donations, fuel, trauma care, and emergency interventions. Beyond physical injuries, the impact is also felt in less visible ways. MSF has set up a telephone helpline to provide remote mental health support for people struggling to cope.
50 years of MSF in LebanonImpartialityIndependenceNeutralityBearing WitnessHealing Hands
Care based on need
For fifty years, MSF has provided independent medical care in Lebanon.
Guided only by medical needs, care has reached Palestinian refugees, Syrian families, migrant workers, and Lebanese communities living through conflict and economic collapse.
Across these crises, suffering has taken different forms, from war injuries and displacement to disease outbreaks, interrupted treatment, and the daily struggle to access care. MSF’s response has remained close to people through it all, in the patients treated, the needs witnessed, and the care delivered.
This is what MSF’s work in Lebanon has meant: 50 years of healing hands, showing up again and again, right where it hurts.