Despite a temporary ceasefire, people are still suffering from massive forced displacement and trauma.
The escalation of conflict in the Middle East has had dire consequences for the people of Lebanon.
On March 2, Hezbollah forces in Lebanon launched rocket and drone attacks toward Israel. In response, Israeli forces unleashed a relentless bombing campaign across several areas of Lebanon.
Israeli strikes on densely populated areas have killed and injured civilians, including medical workers responding to provide emergency assistance. Israeli evacuation orders have displaced more than 1 million people — one-fifth of Lebanon’s population. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without proper shelter and in dire living conditions. Many have been cut off from health care at a time of spiraling medical and mental health needs.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been providing medical humanitarian aid in Lebanon since 1976, and our teams on the ground quickly responded to the escalating conflict, including in the heavy-hit southern region of the country and the capital, Beirut. Here’s the latest.
What’s happening in Lebanon right now?
Lebanon is facing a severe humanitarian crisis after Israeli forces escalated their attacks and bombardment in early March. Thousands of people have been killed or injured, including by Israeli forces’ indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas. Large-scale forced evacuation orders by Israeli forces cover around 14 percent of the country. As a result, over 1 million people have been forcibly displaced, with many families repeatedly fleeing their homes and shelters, often with nowhere to go.
A temporary ceasefire went into effect on April 17, but a fragile sense of relief is overshadowed by uncertainty and caution. The earlier so-called ceasefire — which lasted from November 2024 to March 2026 — was marred by ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
The humanitarian and medical needs of hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon remain overwhelming. Many people have lost their loved ones, homes, and livelihoods.
Hospitals, particularly in southern Lebanon, have been overwhelmed with mass casualties and are struggling to keep up with high numbers of injured patients. At the same time, many people cannot reach medical services due to attacks, fear, and displacement. Patients with chronic illnesses are missing essential treatments, pregnant women are missing follow-ups, and rates of mental health conditions — such as anxiety, trauma, and depression — are rising sharply after repeated displacement and loss.
Blanket evacuation orders were issued with little warning, forcing people to flee without preparation and leaving them dependent on humanitarian aid. Massive displacement has forced hundreds of thousands of people into extremely harsh living conditions with limited access to clean water, sanitation, and health care.
A fragile sense of relief is overshadowed by uncertainty and caution. The earlier so-called ceasefire — which lasted from November 2024 to March 2026 — was marred by ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
The most vulnerable groups — including refugees, migrant workers, and people with disabilities — are disproportionately affected. They face additional barriers to accessing aid, health care, and safe shelter, and are often excluded from formal support systems. While the local health system, local organizations, and volunteers are responding to the increasing needs, the strained health system and limited resources are exhausting the local response. There is an urgent need to scale up humanitarian assistance.
What are MSF teams seeing on the ground in Lebanon?
Since the escalation of Israel’s war in Lebanon, MSF teams have witnessed a total disregard for civilian lives and for the protection of health care, alongside widespread forced displacement.
As MSF teams across Lebanon respond to the growing medical and humanitarian needs, they are witnessing the dire situation displaced people face: Many are living in overcrowded shelters with limited resources and inadequate living conditions, while some families have no access to formal shelter at all and are sleeping in cars or on the streets.
At the same time, many people are choosing to remain in their homes despite evacuation orders, often because they have nowhere else to go. Others who initially fled have been forced to return to unsafe areas due to the lack of space in shelters or the inability to afford alternative accommodation.
What health services are currently available in southern Lebanon?
Health care in southern Lebanon is functioning under extreme strain and insecurity. While several hospitals are still operational and providing emergency care and referrals, repeated mass casualty events and unpredictable strikes put them under intense pressure.
In places like Nabatiyeh, hospital staff supported by MSF continue working but are often forced to shelter inside the hospital, limiting movement and rest. Repeated Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and major roads, are cutting cities and villages south of the Litani River off from the rest of the country.
Repeated strikes on civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and major roads, are isolating cities and villages south of the Litani River from the rest of the country.
Currently, all hospitals MSF is in contact with in Nabatiyeh governorate are functioning only as trauma stabilization points. This means they can manage initial emergency care focused on trauma and war-wounded patients, but they are no longer able to admit or treat people needing prolonged or complex care like dialysis; treatment for complications from non-communicable diseases; deliveries including cesarean sections; and pediatrics. MSF is supporting hospitals in the governorate with medical supplies and fuel.
What do displaced people in Lebanon need right now?
Forcibly displaced people living in inadequate shelters — including tents in the streets — lack the most basic needs, including mattresses, blankets, hygiene kits, and cleaning supplies. People need clean water, latrines, food, medical care, and psychological support.
Medical needs are growing, as people have been cut off from health care either because of displacement or due to the lack of options in dangerous areas such as southern Lebanon. People with chronic illnesses need continuity of care and are at risk of suffering complications. Pregnant women have not been able to continue their follow-ups. Mental health needs are soaring.
How is MSF responding to the needs of displaced people in Lebanon?
Lebanese authorities have reported that over 1 million people have been forcibly displaced, with around 140,000 registered in official shelters. This figure is in addition to the approximately 64,000 people who remain displaced since the escalation in 2024. We have also witnessed people, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities, being trapped in border towns following Israel’s announcement of a ground incursion, as they were unable to evacuate.
There have also been increased crossings from Lebanon into Syria following Israeli displacement orders, according to the UN Refugee Agency, which reports that 277,000 people have crossed the border into Syria as of April 13, including 234,000 Syrians and 43,000 Lebanese.
Our teams are present in neighboring countries such as in Syria, monitoring developments while running regular activities. At this stage, we have not launched an operational response across the borders.
What is the situation inside hospitals and primary health care clinics across Lebanon?
Continuous Israeli attacks since the 2024 escalation have left Lebanon’s health care system extremely fragile. Now, many primary health care clinics and facilities are overwhelmed by large numbers of patients, including people suffering from injuries. After the large-scale attacks on April 8, in which Israeli forces struck Lebanon over 100 times in 10 minutes, MSF teams supported numerous hospitals with mass casualty kits and donations.
Each mass casualty event decreases hospitals’ capacity to respond. In southern Lebanon, some hospitals don’t have electricity, so MSF teams have donated fuel. Hospital workers are becoming exhausted. Attacks on health care facilities and staff, including ambulances, have increased. The World Health Organization reported that six hospitals have been forced to close and 14 hospitals have been damaged. Many health care facilities have been forced to reduce services due to the insecurity and staff shortages.
How is the escalation impacting migrants in Lebanon?
Lebanon is home to around 1 million Syrian refugees, about 450,000 Palestinian refugees, and almost half a million migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that 48,000 of those displaced or living in high-risk areas are migrants, representing around 30 percent of the identified migrant population in Lebanon. Displaced migrant communities are trapped between the impacts of war and a humanitarian response that often excludes them.
Migrant communities in Lebanon already face significant economic, legal, and social barriers to accessing basic services. Many are now sheltering in overcrowded accommodations arranged by communities or sleeping on the streets, with some reportedly being explicitly turned away, discriminated against, or deprioritized from formal collective shelters in favor of Lebanese nationals.