Lebanon: a humanitarian crisis in a complex geopolitical context

The pagers and two-way radios that were tampered with and exploded on Sept 17–18, 2024, and killed and maimed thousands within Hezbollah's military and civilian networks, have partly undermined Hezbollah's role in relief and its stronghold communities, most of which are now displaced.4 The 2006 war started on July 12, and ended on Aug 14, whereas the 2024 war erupted in September, and there are fears that it will drag on, potentially exposing the displaced population to cold weather and threatening the academic year. Israel has waged a war against the people of Gaza for over a year, causing a case of genocide to be brought against them at the International Court of Justice.8 Emboldened with almost total impunity, Israel could turn Lebanon into Gaza, ushering in a long war with more destruction. The wars on Lebanon and Gaza will eventually end, but wars in our region will recur as long as the struggle of Palestinians for self-determination and a just peace is not globally supported. [...]a day, we call again9 upon public health professionals to condemn the weaponisation of health, reject the justification of killing civilians as accepted collateral damage, demand uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to innocent civilians, and invest in understanding the narrative of all sides of the conflict.