Lebanon: Israeli strike on residential area in Beirut causes mass casualty incident

Country: Lebanon Source: Médecins Sans Frontières MSF condemns this attack on civilians in a highly populated area and calls for the protection of civilians and health facilities. Israeli forces struck a densely populated residential area in Beirut, Lebanon , on Sunday afternoon, about 300 feet from Rafik Hariri Public Hospital, where Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting with an ER doctor. A mass-casualty influx followed: people bleeding, some carried on shoulders. In the first hour, four were killed and nearly 40 injured; more casualties are feared as rubble is cleared. “We are seeing elderly people and adolescents arriving with critical injuries to the head, chest, and abdomen, including shrapnel wounds,” says Dr. Luna Hammad, MSF medical coordinator, from the ER at Rafik Hariri Public Hospital. “When strikes hit crowded residential areas without warning, the consequences are severe, both in human casualties and in hospitals’ capacity to respond.” Inside the hospital, teams are prioritizing the most critical cases. People with chronic conditions or acute medical needs unrelated to the blast are waiting longer, and some may not be seen at all, according to Dr. Luna. MSF is donating a mass-casualty kit and will continue supporting hospitals with medical expertise and essential medical and non-medical supplies. MSF condemns this attack on civilians in a highly populated area and calls for the protection of civilians and health facilities. Strikes this close to a hospital spread fear and can stop people from seeking lifesaving care. Civilians cannot be collateral damage.

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