MSF warns of deadly conditions in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, and calls for the immediate protection of civilians and medical and rescue workers as relentless Israeli attacks hit the governorate.
22 June 2026: please find below an update on Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, where the situation is quite critical.
Since last Friday, a drastic escalation of Israeli attacks and bombardment across the governorate has killed upwards of 50 people and injured at least 97, in the latest Ministry of Public Health tolls, with numbers rapidly increasing. It's worth noting that this comes mere days after people began returning to their homes in the hopes that the violence was subsiding.
We have a team including an ER doctor at Najdeh Chaabiyeh Hospital, a key facility in Nabatiyeh city that is receiving a large influx of wounded patients. We are also supporting many of the emergency search-and-rescue teams in the governorate, whose work has been impeded by repetitive attacks and threats on their vehicles.
English, French, and some Arabic-speaking spokespersons are available in Beirut – for more information or to organise an interview please contact Nicolette Jackson: nicolette.jackson@sydney.msf.org 0477 002 271
Please find below a quote from MSF Emergency Coordinator in Lebanon, Pierre Boulet-Desbareau.
“Since the morning of 19 June, 25 killed and 37 wounded have been brought into Najdeh Al-Shaabiyeh Hospital, many in critical condition. Our team is responding to an influx of patients of all ages, including paramedics wounded during rescue missions. People are arriving with severe head injuries, heavy bleeding, shrapnel injuries and in need of amputations, while others are suspected to be trapped under rubble as bombardment continues.
“On the18 June, our teams witnessed people returning to their towns in Nabatiyeh governorate and searching through the rubble of their destroyed homes. They had gone back in the hopes that it might finally be safe. Instead, many are now once again trapped under bombardment.
“Meanwhile, some search-and-rescue and ambulance teams MSF supports and works closely with are unable to reach some of the wounded or evacuate some of civilians because moving through the area is simply too dangerous, and because responders have repeatedly been put at risk of coming under Israeli fire while doing their job.
“The ongoing situation in Nabatiyeh is devastating. What our teams are describing resembles a death trap. People are caught under heavy shelling, while rescue teams are unable to safely reach them. Civilians and first responders must be protected, and unhindered access for rescue teams is urgently needed.”
Link to video material:
B-roll from the hospital (filmed last week) showing Nabatiyeh city, the hospital, and the MSF staff there https://media.msf.org/Share/1do17p33ag23y46at7ok7i312s6e7171
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