The Lebanese Red Cross is the largest humanitarian organization in Lebanon, with approximately 7,000 members/volunteers and 200 staff personnel. It operates over 250 ambulances and 46 first-aid centers across the country. Wikipedia redcross.org.lb

I received this email update:

I’m writing with another update on the evolving situation in Lebanon. Since I last emailed you, the situation in the south has deteriorated.

The scale of suffering people are now facing here is unprecedented, even for somewhere that has seen so much hardship over the years.

As conflict continues to escalate, evacuation orders are in place across roughly 20% of the country. One in five people are now registered as displaced and living in shelters, host communities, informal sites and public spaces.

People are having to make difficult choices: leave their homes for crowded shelters, or stay and risk being caught up in the fighting.

Amid this crisis, the Lebanese Red Cross remains a lifeline to people here, and we’re doing all we can to support their efforts. Local teams have been setting up shelters, and making sure those still in their homes have enough food and water to get by.

They’re also supporting those who are sick and injured. With 14 hospitals closed or damaged, and 54 health centres not operating, medical services are under severe strain. As I write this, Lebanese Red Cross ambulances are being dispatched to treat casualties, transfer blood units and transport patients.

The risks to humanitarian teams responding to the conflict in the Middle East are significant. Devastatingly, four Red Cross and Red Crescent colleagues have been killed, and many have been injured, while trying to save lives across the region.

These tragedies highlight how critical it is that every medic, every aid worker, every person carrying out life-saving humanitarian work is able to do it safely.

I want to end by reiterating something I’ve said before. Under international humanitarian law, humanitarian workers, including Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers, must be protected.

And that goes for other places, too. Around the world, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams are risking their lives amid conflict and crises to reach those who need help most – and your support is vital.

Just days ago:

……….claim were true, it would not justify broad attacks. Under international humanitarian law, an army must demonstrate that a specific object is being used for military purposes, for example, a particular ambulance in a particular location at a specific time. “You cannot simply declare that all ambulances are legitimate targets,” Bekerle said.

“What we’re seeing between Lebanon and Gaza is this big broadening of what constitutes an ‘acceptable’ target to the military,” she added. “The reality is that a civilian entity affiliated with a non-state armed group is not automatically targetable.”

Israel’s massive and unprecedented displacement orders in Lebanon have made the work of Lebanese first responders all the more dangerous.

Moussa Shaalan, a medic with the Lebanese Civil Defense in the coastal city of Sour, told Drop Site that the current war is the hardest he has experienced in more than three decades of service.

“The difference this time is that there are many more people in the villages,” Shaalan said. “They say they can’t afford the rent in other parts of the country…and that when they fled north, they were humiliated. They tell you they would rather die at home,” he added. “So the demand for emergency services under dangerous conditions is much higher.”

Most of the places being struck are still densely populated and full of children, Shaalan added. He fears the death toll will continue to rise, particularly since Israel has begun targeting civilian infrastructure such as bridges and roads that enable rescue teams to reach the wounded.

Karaki, the IHA spokesperson, said Israel’s attacks on first responders are part of a broader effort to force people from the region.

“The presence of a team of first responders offers a last remaining sense of security for people who have chosen to remain steadfast on their land,” he said. “That’s why the occupation targets healthcare workers who have nothing to do with what’s happening on the battlefield.”

Lylla Younes Investigative journalist and writer based in Beirut

17 March 2026

Source: dropsitenews.com