The administration of the Martyr Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil announced its forced evacuation of the hospital, as a result of the increasing intensity of attacks that targeted the surrounding areas and its entrances in recent days, which exposed the medical staff and patients to imminent danger.
The administration stated in a statement that, since the beginning of the clashes, the hospital had formed a “safe health haven” for the residents of the area, and continued to provide its services despite the difficult circumstances. However, the “policy of intimidation” and repeated attacks, through artillery shelling and throwing sound bombs at entrances, in addition to intermittent sniping at doors and windows, forced the decision to evacuate out of concern for everyone’s safety.
The administration indicated that the attacks had escalated significantly since dawn on Thursday, which increased the level of risks to the point where it was no longer possible to continue work, stressing that the decision was taken after coordination with the concerned parties.
The statement stated that most of the medical staff had been evacuated, with a small number of employees remaining to supervise guarding the hospital, expressing its hope to return as soon as possible to resume the “humanitarian mission.”
The evacuation of the hospital comes in light of a major Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon, where many villages in the Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun districts are witnessing continuous air strikes and bombings, targeting homes and vital facilities.
This coincides with the deterioration of the humanitarian and health situation in the border areas, in light of the enormous pressure on the remaining hospitals, and the difficulty of transporting the injured due to the continuous bombing, which increases fears of the collapse of the health sector in the south.
