As a tenuous ceasefire holds between Israel and Hezbollah, the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the immense health challenges facing Lebanon, where months of conflict have devastated the healthcare system.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, described Lebanon’s health needs as “huge” and warned they will intensify in the coming months. The ceasefire, which began Wednesday, allowed displaced residents to return to heavily bombed regions, but the stability of the truce remains uncertain after accusations of breaches by Hezbollah.
Heavy Toll on Healthcare Facilities
Since the escalation of conflict in October 2023, there have been 158 attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel in Lebanon, resulting in 241 deaths and nearly 300 injuries, WHO reports. Nearly 10% of hospitals have been damaged, and health workers, many among the displaced, are struggling to restore services.
“We are assessing damage to hospitals and identifying which can reopen soonest,” said Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO’s acting representative for Lebanon. Four hospitals in Beirut and nearby areas could be operational within weeks if the ceasefire holds, though others may take months to repair. Mobile clinics are being deployed as a stopgap measure to deliver essential care.
Rising Humanitarian Crisis
The conflict has left over 3,760 people dead in Lebanon and more than 70 in Israel, with further risks posed by the approaching winter and dwindling supplies of medicine and fuel.
WHO officials called for a lasting peace, emphasizing that aid alone cannot resolve the worsening humanitarian crisis. “The ultimate solution is not aid, but peace,” Dr. Tedros stated, urging a permanent ceasefire that includes Gaza, where ongoing violence has killed over 44,000 Palestinians.
Lebanon’s health system faces a long road to recovery, with immediate efforts focused on providing critical care to displaced populations and rebuilding essential infrastructure.