José Luis Mitxelena

Lebanon - Around 2pm Sunday, Israeli forces struck a densely populated residential area in Beirut, only meters from Rafik Hariri Public Hospital, where MSF is supporting with an ER doctor. A mass-casualty influx followed: people bleeding, some carried on shoulders. In the first hour, 4 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.” 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. MSF is donating a mass-casualty kit and will continue supporting hospitals with medical expertise and essential medical and non-medical supplies. Civilians cannot be collateral damage.