In brief
Lebanon's hospitals are buckling under the weight of the ongoing Israeli military offensive, with health services severely disrupted and many facilities either closed or operating at reduced capacity, according to the World Health Organization.
Hospitals across Lebanon are struggling to operate as the Israeli military targets Hezbollah in densely populated areas, such as Dahiya near Beirut, leading to widespread closures. "I don’t want to close the hospital," Elie Hachem, director of St. Therese Hospital on the outskirts of Beirut, expressed his distress after the facility was heavily damaged by airstrikes. "The community needs us," he added. The United Nations has raised alarms over the broadening targeting of health and relief operations in the area.Amid looming threats, Mr. Hachem noted the urgent evacuation orders following announcements of strikes on "Hezbollah facilities." St. Therese Hospital was hit by an airstrike just 80 yards away, causing significant damage despite being evacuated in under 20 minutes—which, luckily, resulted in no casualties. The strike inflicted such damage that ceilings collapsed, and parts of the hospital flooded.Even though the hospital had no choice but to shut its doors the following day out of fear for the safety of its staff, who are described as traumatized, it remains emblematic of at least nine other hospitals affected by this intensifying conflict. The healthcare crisis further complicates Lebanon’s existing challenges, and the impact on civilian lives continues to deepen as hospital services in the region teeter on the brink of collapse.
