Lebanon receives medical aid from UN organizations amid Israeli strikes

By Wassim Seifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanon said that it received medical aid from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday, as the country faces ongoing Israeli strikes.

The shipment arrived at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport and was received by Health Minister Firas Abiad, WHO representative in Lebanon Abdinasir Abubakar, and UNHCR representative Ivo Freijsen, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Following the delivery, Abiad emphasized that the medical aid arrived at a “critical time,” with Lebanon facing Israeli attacks.

The minister also highlighted that a humanitarian airlift had been established from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a plane carrying 55 tons of aid arriving Friday, and additional planes from Slovakia, Poland, and other countries expected soon.

WHO representative Abubakar mentioned that the first shipment included life-saving medical supplies to help hospitals manage casualties influx.

“Hospitals are overwhelmed with increasing numbers of casualties, and it is our responsibility, along with other UN agencies, to ensure they have the necessary tools to save lives,” Abubakar said, noting that more aid would arrive in the coming days.

For his part, UNHCR representative Freijsen added, “We want to show our solidarity with Lebanon by working with all humanitarian organizations to secure the needed assistance, and we call on donors to respond quickly to urgent needs.”

Israel has launched massive airstrikes since Sept. 23 on what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon that have killed so far more than 1,100 victims, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The aerial campaign was an escalation in a year-long conflict between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 41,800 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

At least 1,974 victims have since been killed in Lebanon, more than 9,384 injured, with 1.2 million displaced, according to authorities.​​​​​​​

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul