Lebanon: “Everyone is heartbroken” in the south
Forty-six days of attacks by Israeli forces take physical, mental toll on residents in the south
Traffic moves slowly towards the south of Lebanon as displaced residents make their way home. Many are headed to the coastal city of Sour, also known as Tyre, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its scenery and significance.
After 46 days of attacks by Israeli forces, the landscape of Sour is marred by the rubble of collapsed buildings and metres-deep craters left by the impact of bombs. Cars sit abandoned, punctured by shrapnel.
While most of its residents fled during the escalation, some stayed behind by choice or for lack of another option. Israeli airstrikes destroyed key bridges linking the south to the rest of the country, leaving them trapped and cut off under intense bombardment. Humanitarian workers withdrew as healthcare staff faced near-daily attacks and ongoing bombardment forced people to stay indoors. While the ceasefire has brought some sense of relief, it remains fragile under the buzz of Israeli drones overhead.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are responding to the needs of people in the south and across Lebanon, providing healthcare through mobile clinics and supporting hospitals. During the escalation, MSF teams provided more than 21,000 medical consultations and distributed relief items, including over 32,000 blankets and 25,000 hygiene kits to support displaced people and others affected by the violence.
Isolated, bombed, cut off from healthcare
Some of the people who stayed in the south did so because they had no other option — either due to cost, a lack of shelter, the fear of losing their homes, or the sense of indignity associated with forced displacement.
Many families in and around Sour were already displaced before the latest escalation started. Some had come from towns near the southern border, where Israeli forces have made incursions into people’s homes.
“Some patients stopped taking their medication because it wasn’t available. They also wanted to prioritize food and water. At the same time, they have no sense of security for the coming days.”
Aida Hassounch, MSF physician
“We stayed here and didn’t leave, thank God,” says Hamad Darweesh, the secretary of the Jal El Bahr Palestinian community in Sour, where his family has lived since the Nakba, the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948. “For 46 days, we were trapped without basic necessities to survive. We had no medical care or anything.”
Cut off from healthcare
During the 46 days, Israeli strikes hit residential areas, health facilities and ambulances — with or without warning. Access to healthcare diminished significantly as health facilities in the south had to close down and most international institutions left the area due to the insecurity.
“Some patients stopped taking their medication because it wasn’t available,” says Aida Hassounch, MSF physician. “They also wanted to prioritize food and water. At the same time, they have no sense of security for the coming days.”
Many residents have isolated themselves indoors, afraid any movements outside would put their lives in danger; others have separated family members to mitigate risks.
Forcibly displaced by ground invasion of Israeli forces
In addition to carrying out intense airstrikes on Lebanon, Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of the south, enforcing a “yellow line” or no-go zone where they have occupied part of Lebanese territory. This has prevented people from returning to their homes in some 55 villages. As well, thousands have been forcibly displaced by the destruction and demolition of entire villages and communities.
“Why are our villages and homes being destroyed? Why is there a yellow, red and blue line? … It isn’t right to live like this.”
Salha Srour, patient supported by MSF
“Everyone is heartbroken and sad for the state of their village and so are we,” says Salha Srour, a patient supported by MSF. She is originally from the border town of Aita ash Shaab and has been displaced multiple times.
“We hear the sound of explosions,” she says. “Why are our villages and homes being destroyed? Why is there a yellow, red and blue line? We used to eat from what grew around our houses: lettuce, mint and parsley, everything we used to plant near the house. It isn’t right to live like this.”
Local healthcare workers have continued to work throughout the war, operating under immense pressure. Among them are more than 500 of our Lebanese colleagues at MSF.
MSF teams in south Lebanon, including in Sour and Nabatyieh, provide primary healthcare, mental health support, sexual and reproductive healthcare. As well, they give referrals for secondary healthcare while supporting hospitals with trauma and emergency care. MSF continues to call for a critical scale-up of humanitarian assistance and unhindered access to aid for people in need across the country.
