Lebanon: Humanitarian Scale-Up Urgently Needed

Apr 20, 2026

Following the announcement of a temporary ceasefire, a fragile sense of relief is overshadowed by uncertainty and caution among people in Lebanon. The humanitarian and medical needs of hundreds of thousands of people in the country remain overwhelming. In southern Beirut, people are moving back and forth between their shelters and homes, collecting what they can and preparing to return to the sites of displacement if the situation worsens. People in southern Beirut, the Bekaa and south Lebanon, have lost their homes, livelihoods, and loved ones.

While Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams across Lebanon are adapting their response and assessing needs, as people continue to move across the country, we are calling for an urgent scale-up of humanitarian aid and unhindered access to aid.

Although a pause in attacks may bring some relief, people's humanitarian needs remain urgent and immense. This includes the psychological impact of months of trauma caused by the killing, the displacement and lack of access to basic necessities.

Even before the escalation in early March, the so-called ceasefire existed in name only, as ongoing attacks by Israeli forces devastated people's lives. Due to Israel's incursions and occupation in south Lebanon, more than 64,000 people were internally displaced, while attacks on reconstruction equipment and other civilian facilities, prevented recovery in many areas.

Since 2 March, more than 2,000 people have been killed and more than 7,000 injured, according to local health officials. On 8 April alone, large-scale strikes by Israeli forces across Lebanon accounted for one-fifth of the casualties recorded since early March.

MSF teams are working in Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Beirut, and Jabal Amel Hospital, Sour, to support the local healthcare system to respond to urgent needs. Together with hospital staff, our teams have treated patients with life-altering injuries, including severed limbs and severe organ trauma. Israeli forces' indiscriminate strikes in densely populated areas have not spared civilians, while attacks on healthcare facilities and ambulances have killed and injured medical workers.

More than one million people have been forcibly displaced since early March. Many had to flee at a moment's notice, often with only the clothes they were wearing, leaving behind their homes and belongings. Months spent in overcrowded shelters or makeshift tents on the streets have worsened people's health due to poor hygiene conditions, inadequate shelter, and prolonged psychological distress.

The consequences of displacement during war do not end when people try to return home. Some will not be able to return, as their homes have been destroyed, while others are not able to even reach their villages in the southern border at all because of Israeli forces occupation. Economic hardship, loss of work, the trauma of fleeing suddenly, uncertainty about the future, and absence of safety all have a severe impact on people's mental health. Many people continue to experience stress, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of severe-traumatic stress.

Note:

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au 

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