Turkish Hospital in Lebanon starts treating patients as Israeli strikes force others to close

By Wassim Samih Seifeddine and Muhammed Emin Canik

SIDON, Lebanon (AA) — In Lebanon, where intense Israeli bombardment has left eight hospitals out of service, sick and injured have started receiving care at the newly expanded Turkish Hospital in the southern city of Sidon.

Constructed with Turkish aid following the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, the facility was designed to treat burns and other accident-related injuries. Although completed in 2010, work has been ongoing to fully equip it for operations.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told Anadolu that the Turkish Hospital's partial opening came at a critical time as Israeli attacks have disrupted health care and targeted medical workers across Lebanon.

“In these difficult conditions, where Israeli attacks are targeting the health sector and its personnel in various areas, the opening of a section of the Turkish Hospital is of great importance,” Abiad said.

The minister said the decision to open a new medical facility when others were shut was a necessary step to ensure health care remains accessible for Lebanese people. “When the enemy disables one hospital, it is our duty to reopen another,” he said.

Abiad ruled out the reopening of those hospitals that were closed in "unsafe areas," such as those in the southern towns of Mais al-Jabal, Bint Jbeil, and Marjayoun near the southern border, as they are frequently targeted by Israeli strikes.

“The quickest way to reopen these hospitals is through a permanent cease-fire, which Lebanon and many other nations are demanding,” he added.

- ‘A gift from Ankara to Lebanon’

The Turkish Hospital’s opening was delayed due to disputes between Sidon’s municipal government and the Ministry of Health, said Abdul Rahman Bizri, a lawmaker and member of the Health Committee of the Parliament.

“The Turkish Hospital, intended to offer new services in response to the damages caused by Israel's 2006 attacks, is a gift from Ankara to Lebanon,” Bizri said.

After the massive Beirut port explosion in 2020, which claimed over 200 lives, Türkiye agreed to operate the facility, initially providing outpatient care for cancer and general health patients.

With recent support from Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the lawmaker said the hospital would soon be able to perform surgeries and burn treatments with international organizations' assistance.

Expressing gratitude to Ankara, he said the Turkish government initially covered more than $20 million in construction costs and contributed another $2 million to support operations.

Earlier, Abiad had announced that a burn unit would open at the Turkish Hospital to help treat the injured as Israel continues to wage its assault on the country.

“This hospital will be Lebanon’s reference for burn treatment," Abiad told a news conference in Beirut.

Since the start of Israel’s ground operations in Lebanon in early October, around 900 new casualties have been admitted to hospitals, a 1.5-fold increase compared to September, the ministry added.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 43,400 people, most of them women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, more than 3,000 people have been killed and nearly 13,500 others injured in Israeli attacks since last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region is on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan