MSF in Lebanon in 2024: A year of emergency response and humanitarian impact
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) expanded activities in Lebanon following the intensification of Israeli bombardments and ground incursions in September 2024. Here is our year in review. The war in Lebanon erupted in September 2024 amid an ongoing economic crisis, in which people were already struggling to obtain medical care. In 2024, nearly one million people were displaced from their homes, while two million required urgent humanitarian aid.
MSF has been active across Lebanon since 1976, running clinics providing treatment for non-communicable diseases, paediatric and reproductive healthcare and mental health services. From September 2024, we scaled up our operations to respond to the needs of people affected by the war.
Responding to emergencies and providing life-saving medical care across Lebanon
In Tripoli, north Lebanon, we subsidised treatment for non-communicable diseases, trained medical staff and donated medicines. By mid-2024, we had integrated reproductive and mental health services into Al-Makassed healthcare centre in Wadi Khaled, in Akkar governorate.
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, our clinics in Bourj Al-Barajneh and Bourj Hammoud provided reproductive healthcare, mental health support and general consultations to the local community, including Palestinian and Syrian refugees, as well as migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia.
In Baalbek-Hermel, we offered basic and reproductive healthcare, treatment for chronic diseases and mental health support through clinics in Arsal and Hermel. We also facilitated emergency referrals for specialised care. In August, we partnered with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health to conduct a cholera vaccination campaign in Arsal, focusing on overcrowded refugee communities.
Following the escalation in Israeli bombardments and ground incursions in September, MSF sent 22 mobile medical teams to heavily affected areas, including Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Baalbek-Hermel and Akkar, to deliver trauma care and mental health services and support healthcare centres. We strengthened hospitals’ capacity by conducting mass-casualty training and supplying tonnes of medical and relief materials.
In Saida, South Lebanon, we supported the Turkish hospital by donating medical supplies and assisting the surgical team. We also launched a telephone helpline to offer remote mental health support. These efforts were crucial as health facilities were unable to cope with the rising number of casualties and the destruction of their infrastructure.
In addition to these medical activities, we distributed hygiene kits, blankets, mattresses and water to the shelters for displaced people, and supplied hot meals for hundreds of families during the months of war.
After the November ceasefire, many displaced people returned to destroyed homes. Others were too afraid to return. Access to healthcare remains extremely limited, due to widespread damage to infrastructure and unaffordable costs. The war has been particularly devastating for healthcare staff and facilities. The World Health Organization reported that 226 health workers and patients were killed, and 199 injured, between 7 October 2023 and 18 November 2024.[1]
At the end of 2024, MSF continued to provide vital medical care and support to communities facing ongoing economic hardship and insecurity.
[1] Lebanon: a conflict particularly destructive to health care