Healthcare professionals at one of the largest medical facilities in southern Lebanon express deep concerns for their safety following a series of nearby assaults over just a few days.
Approximately half of the personnel have already departed. The remaining staff have relocated into the hospital and have been residing there for the last ten days.
“It’s challenging to work under constant fear,” shares Dr. Mohammad Taoube, head of the hospital’s emergency response unit (ER).
He further states: “My primary concern is for my own safety and that of my family, as there is no secure location in Lebanon currently.”
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The institution has recently endured three close-range assaults, including one that struck just outside the emergency unit, obstructing its entryway and causing injuries to victims who had just been treated by ER personnel.
“They were hurt twice,” notes one physician. “Once by bombs at their residence, and again just as they were about to exit.”
The medical team suspects the assaults nearby are intended to intimidate them into vacating or abandoning the hospital.
Dr. Abdul Nasser, a general surgeon at the facility (whose name we are withholding for safety reasons), expresses his fear that the escalating proximity of these attacks is a deliberate strategy.
“Once the doctors depart, no one will remain in my city,” Dr. Nasser remarks. “And when individuals leave, it becomes exceedingly difficult to return.”
He encourages his colleagues to remain steadfast and continue their work. “Soldiers can’t flee the battlefield… similarly, doctors and nurses must remain in the hospitals. I don’t want anyone to depart. We must persist.”
Dr. Nasser is a seasoned veteran from three prior conflicts. He states: “This is the most severe situation, and it will persist for an extended period.”
He continues: “I have never departed before. I have never abandoned the hospital during previous conflicts.”
“Indeed, I am frightened,” he concedes. “But I strive to maintain a positive outlook and carry on with my life, focusing on fulfilling my responsibilities.”
The hospital has admitted around 1,500 individuals wounded by war in the last two weeks.
Operations are no longer conducted as they were prior to the war; however, the hospital remains a crucial emergency center for casualties, some of whom are evacuated directly from the frontlines near the border.
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A family of five is the latest group to arrive from the border village of Alma al Chaab. The youngest, nine-year-old Mariam, writhes in agony upon our arrival with Dr. Nasser.
She was seated with her mother and siblings when a rocket struck their home.
“Everything came crashing down on me,” she recalls. Her left leg is wrapped in bandages up to her hip.
“She has a double fracture that has been pinned,” Dr. Nasser informs us. “Her arm is fractured, and she has multiple lacerations.”
Her older brother stands nearby, still clad in blood-soaked clothing—dusty and marked with significant blood stains.
At 19, he is still grappling with the trauma of their ordeal. “This is a tremendous shock. Nothing like this has ever transpired for us before,” he states.
The casualties that prove most difficult for the medical staff to manage are women and children, they inform us.
“It is challenging to bear the suffering of children,” asserts Dr. Taoube. “Extremely difficult. I wish you never have to witness this. I wish no other doctors ever face this reality. It is very hard.”
Dr. Hussam Telleih states: “We do not feel secure; the patients are not safe… they [the Israelis] claim there are rockets or explosives in or near the hospital from Hezbollah, but this is untrue… we refute all these allegations.”
Numerous towns and neighborhoods in the southern region have been largely deserted, as the Lebanese government estimates that approximately a million individuals are displaced and have left their residences – marking the largest exodus in the nation’s history.
Nevertheless, there are still many residents who cannot or choose not to vacate their homes.
“Why should I leave?” questions Mohammad Halawi. “It feels like collective punishment. They assert they target specific individuals, yet they are harming everyone.”
He stands amid the wreckage of a block that once accommodated 32 members of his family across five different apartments. He expresses his belief that the intended target may have been the house directly behind his.
His neighbor was a supporter of Hezbollah, although he had minimal acquaintance with him. His neighbor’s family of eight, including children, perished in the offensive. Over a dozen other residences have also been obliterated.
His nephew’s young spouse, Anwar, met her fate – leaving behind two small children. Her husband was at work at the time, thus he survived. Several other family members have sustained injuries.
The injured individuals in the hospital receive stabilization treatment as swiftly as possible, and emergency surgeries are performed when necessary.
Following this, patients are then transferred to other regions deemed to be safer, such as Beirut.
Nonetheless, identifying a secure location within Lebanon is proving to be increasingly difficult.
“They possess no compassion, morals, or humanity,” remarks another patient in the hospital, his head wrapped in bandages.
“If they were targeting military installations, we would simply remain silent,” stated Oussama Najdi, who arrived from Deir Kanoun. “However, they struck our home – and we do not even possess a single firearm among us.”
Alex Crawford reports from southern Lebanon alongside cameraman Jake Britton, specialist producer Chris Cunningham, and Lebanon producers Jihad Jneid and Sami Zein.