Since February, the dramatic escalation in conflict in the Middle East has upended the lives of people across the region, with dire health and humanitarian consequences.
While recent ceasefire announcements in Iran and Lebanon have brought some fragile relief, the situation remains uncertain, with urgent medical and humanitarian needs.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is responding to the direct and indirect consequences of the conflict throughout the region. Our teams have launched emergency responses in Iran and Lebanon, where we provide critical medical care in hospitals and humanitarian aid for people displaced by the violence. We are also working in countries across the region facing the ripple effects, including Palestine, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Despite what is described as a ceasefire, MSF teams are witnessing a continued military escalation in Lebanon, resulting in civilian casualties, mass forced displacement, and restricted access to health care. Between March 2 and June 22, more than 4,100 people were reportedly killed and over 12,000 people injured by Israeli attacks, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The Israeli army continues to strike densely populated areas in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Attacks on bridges and other critical civilian infrastructure have impeded movement and access to health care for residents, displaced people, and humanitarian organizations.
The Israeli army issues sudden, repeated, and indefinite forced displacement orders, which to date have forced more than 1 million people from their homes. MSF teams are adapting activities to respond to the emerging needs of those who’ve been displaced, while ensuring continuity of care across our existing projects in the country.
MSF calls for the immediate protection of civilians, health care workers, and medical facilities in Lebanon, as well as respect for international humanitarian law. We continue to call for an urgent scale-up of humanitarian aid and unhindered access to people in need across the country.
While the situation in Iran has slowly improved under the ceasefire, the wider impact of the war remains severe. With significant damage to civilian infrastructure — some of which has been destroyed outright — many people still struggle to access basic services, including health care. Around 3.2 million people are internally displaced, according to the Iranian government, with many living in temporary accommodations such as schools, guesthouses, and sports halls.
In response to growing needs, MSF has donated medicines and medical supplies to the Iranian Red Crescent Society for distribution and use. These include pediatric care kits for 6,000 patients, surgical kits for 2,500 patients, burn kits for 40 patients, ER kits for 1,500 patients, and outpatient care kits for 10,000 patients. MSF has also donated essential relief items, including 13,000 blankets and hygiene kits for 5,000 people.
The escalation has exacerbated humanitarian conditions in Palestine, particularly in the West Bank, where movement restrictions, checkpoints, and security redeployments linked to the war have led to increased raids, arson attacks, violence, and violent deaths.
Our teams in Gaza and the West Bank continue to address the significant medical and mental health needs on the ground. We support hospitals and primary health care facilities with services including surgical care, wound management, maternal and pediatric care, and mental health support. We also provide water and sanitation support including the distribution of clean drinking water.