AV Content - MSF's Head of Mission in Lebanon calls for international support to prevent a major humanitarian catastrophe

19 March 2026 - Jeremy Ristord, MSF Head of Mission in Lebanon, is calling for international support to be scaled up now to prevent a major humanitarian catastrophe.

Jeremy Ristord says, "As Israeli ground operations intensify, 53 healthcare facilities have already been targeted and 34 medical staff members have been killed, Israeli strikes have caused more than 900 deaths and 2,000 injuries. Evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army now cover 15 per cent of Lebanese territory - and the bombardments are striking an even larger area."

"Our teams are supporting several hospitals with medical supplies and fuel, and we are ready to deploy surgical teams in coordination with the Ministry of Health. MSF teams have also scaled up major water and sanitation interventions to ensure safer access to clean water and sanitation for displaced families."

"In a country where 70 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, international support must be scaled up now to prevent a major humanitarian catastrophe. We call for the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers and healthcare facilities, and for humanitarian access to be guaranteed for those in need."

Emmanuel Massart, MSF Emergency Medical Coordinator in southern Lebanon, adds, "We are seeing a similarity to what we saw in the past two and a half years in Gaza: broad evacuation orders, constant displacement of thousands of families, and systematic bombing on densely populated areas. After 15 months of a fragile ceasefire that failed to stop the violence in Lebanon, families are once again trapped between fleeing or facing bombs. People must be able to live in safety."

Please find Jeremy and Emmanuel's audio in French with subtitles below, along with Arabic testimonies from Khadija and Ghina, two women displaced by the fighting in South Lebanon. Magnum photographer Emin Özmen, spent time with our teams last week in a shelter and a mobile unit in Beirut. Some of his images are attached and can be used free of charge - more are available on request.