The director of the Marjayoun public hospital in south-east Lebanon, Dr. Mounès Kalakesh has been living in a wartime atmosphere since the start of border clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army on October 8. More than 70 wounded or dead people have been brought to the medical facility, which also serves the surrounding area. For employees living outside Marjayoun, "the road to the hospital is dangerous, due to Israeli bombardments," explained the doctor, who was contacted by telephone. The large town is not deserted, but "more than 60% of the inhabitants have left to take refuge in safe areas," he estimated.

Violent attacks on both sides of the demarcation line are a daily occurrence. According to statements by his spokesman on Friday December 29, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned that these "exchanges of fire [...] risk triggering a wider escalation between Israel and Lebanon." Israeli leaders have increased their threats of an expansion of the fighting, claiming that their army is ready.

If all-out war were to break out, the hospital in Marjayoun, which is close to the border, could last "a month on its own," said Kalakesh. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has provided the hospital with medicines and fuel oil to power its generators.

Guaranteeing a minimum level of self-sufficiency is one of the priorities of the emergency unit that was set up by Firas Abiad, Health Minister in Najib Miqati's outgoing government, at the start of the fighting. "During the 2006 war, Israel bombed bridges and roads from the very beginning, leaving Lebanese regions isolated. We're afraid that this scenario will be repeated in the event of escalation," explained Wahida Ghalayni, head of nursing at Beirut's public hospital and coordinator of the emergency unit, which is located in the ministry's offices on the outskirts of the capital. In the operating room, televisions were always switched on, broadcasting images of southern Lebanon and Gaza.

The "July war," which occurred 17 years ago, took Lebanon by surprise. Israel launched strikes after Hezbollah kidnapped two of its soldiers in a deadly ambush. At that time, however, the hospitals had both greater human and material resources. Lebanon's serious financial crisis that began in 2019 has weakened the sector: doctors and nurses have emigrated; public sector resources have collapsed.

The capacities and needs of public and private hospitals, starting with those located in the most exposed regions, including the South, have been carefully examined. International humanitarian partners, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization, are providing support. "The aim is to prepare medical teams for emergencies, by training them to deal with an influx of wounded with weapons, and by increasing suply stocks so that hospitals can cope," explained Laetitia Nemouche, ICRC health coordinator in Lebanon.

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