Middle East crisis: What is MSF doing and how can I help?
Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is alarmed by the dramatic escalation in conflict across the Middle East-wide region, following strikes by US and Israeli forces in Iran and Iran’s subsequent retaliatory actions in several countries.
MSF is adapting its programmes to respond, and is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving humanitarian needs.
Across the region, the escalation in violence has brought fear to the lives of millions of people. Bombing continues across multiple cities and villages, often hitting densely populated areas, and casualties are mounting.
MSF calls for the protection of civilians, hospitals, health facilities, and other essential infrastructure at all times. Since 28 February, MSF has shipped 42 tons of medical supplies destined for the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.
What is MSF doing in Iran and Lebanon?
Our teams in both Iran and Lebanon are currently confirmed safe, and we are monitoring developments and assessing how to provide support to the people affected.
Iran
In Iran, MSF clinics remain prepared to respond to new and evolving emergencies. For now, MSF programmes are focused on supporting vulnerable populations.
- Before 28 February, when the escalation began, MSF had been running three projects in Iran, providing essential healthcare to marginalised people – including 6,000 medical consultations per month, as well as midwifery care, infectious disease screening and treatment, and mental health support.
- Although airstrikes have created operational challenges and despite the communication blackout, MSF has so far been able to continue some activities. Receiving information from our staff is, however, extremely difficult.
- In Tehran, MSF is expected to reopen as a more specialised clinic following the authorisation granted in mid-March to strengthen support to local health systems responding to conflict-related needs
- Our teams are seeking authorisation from authorities to scale up emergency care support in response to conflict-related needs (opening our clinics 24/7 and supporting the local health systems). We are awaiting a response.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, MSF has launched a nationwide emergency response, delivering large-scale distributions of shelter materials, water, and essential items to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, while adapting activities to maintain continuity of care and support health facilities receiving casualties.
- As of 18 March, MSF's medical mobile units in 34 locations have delivered 5,142 medical consultations, 1,034 sexual reproductive health consultations, 221 individual mental health consultations and 1,001 mental health group sessions
- We have also started providing shelters in Beirut with clean water and conducting assessments in Beirut, Rashaya and other areas to scale up mobile clinics and supplies
- We are in touch with the relevant authorities to provide additional support where needed
Elsewhere in the region, our teams in Gaza and the West Bank continue to address the significant medical and mental health needs.
In Iraq, MSF has medical supplies available to be deployed in the region if needed.
How can I help MSF?
Our teams across the region – in Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen – are only able to respond because of donations from people like you.
By donating to MSF today, you will help ensure that we can deliver life-saving medical aid to people caught in emergencies around the world.
When a crisis hits, your support means we are already there.
Click here to learn more about how we spend your money.
Spotlight: The humanitarian situation in Lebanon
In Lebanon, thousands have been displaced.
“The escalation in conflict comes after 15 months of a 'ceasefire agreement' that never brought real safety for people in Lebanon,” says MSF programme manager Francesca Quinto.
“The latest strikes and evacuation orders to all of Beirut’s southern suburbs and almost all of the south of the country are now forcing even more people to flee. And there is nowhere safe to go.”
For many people in southern Lebanon and other areas of the country, evacuation orders mean reliving the trauma of displacement all over again.
“Families who were slowly beginning to recover from previous fighting are being told to leave their homes. Some have been stranded on the roads with children, elderly relatives, and sick family members, facing extremely harsh conditions,” continues Quinto.
MSF, conflict and war
In conflicts and war zones, MSF does not take sides. We provide medical care based on needs alone and try to reach the people who need help most.
If warring parties see aid organisations as being on one side of a conflict, we are less likely to gain access to those in need and more likely to be attacked. One of the ways in which we are able to demonstrate our independence to warring parties is to ensure that all our funding for work in conflicts comes from private individuals – we do not accept government grants.