Doctors in Lebanon fear for their lives as bombs fall | World News

Doctors at one of southern Lebanon’s largest hospitals say they fear for their lives after a series of attacks nearby within days.

Half the staff has already left. The others have moved into the building and have been living in the hospital for ten days.

“You know, it’s hard to work in fear,” Dr. tells us. Mohammad Taoube, the hospital’s head of emergency response (ER).

He added: “First of all, I fear for my safety and that of my family because there is no safe place here.” Lebanon Now.”

At the latest between Israel and Iran: explosions can be heard in Beirut

The hospital recently experienced three close-range attacks, including one that landed outside the emergency room, blocking the entrance and injuring people who had just been treated by emergency room staff.

“You were injured twice,” says a doctor. “Once by bombings on their house, and then this one when they were about to leave.”

Medics believe the nearby attacks are intended to force them to leave or leave the hospital.

Dr. Abdul Nasser, a general surgeon at the hospital (whose name we are withholding for security reasons), tells us he fears the attacks, which are getting closer and closer, are a deliberate tactic.

“Once the doctors leave, no one will stay in my city,” says Dr. Wet. “And once people leave, it’s very difficult to come back.”

He continues to urge his medical staff to stay put and continue working. “Soldiers cannot leave the battle… so doctors and nurses must also stay in the hospitals. I don’t want anyone to leave. We have to stay.”

Dr. Nasser is a veteran of three previous wars. He tells us: “This is the worst and it will continue for a long time.”

He continues: “I have never left the hospital before. I never left the hospital in the previous wars.”

“Yes, I’m scared,” he admits. “But I’m trying to be positive, move on with my life and just do what I have to do.”

The hospital has admitted about 1,500 war wounded in the last two weeks.

They no longer function as they did before the war, but are one of the main emergency centers for the injured, some of whom are evacuated from the front right on the border.

Read more:
Where Iranian missiles hit Israel
Eight Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon

Most recently, a family of five was taken from the border village of Alma al Chaab. The youngest, nine-year-old Mariam, writhed in pain as we met Dr. Coming to her wetter.

She was sitting with her mother and siblings when a rocket hit the house.

“Everything just fell on me,” she says. Her left leg is bandaged up to the hip.

“She has a double hernia that is stuck,” Dr. tells us. Wet. “Her arm is broken and she has several wounds.”

Her older brother stands nearby. He still wears his bloodstained clothes – dusty and splattered with large blood stains.

He’s 19 and still shaken by what happened. “It’s a big shock. Nothing like this has ever happened to us before,” he says.

The victims we have to contend with most are women and children, doctors tell us.

“It’s hard to deal with children’s pain,” says Dr. Taoube. “Very, very difficult. I hope you never see this. I hope other doctors never have to deal with this. It’s very difficult.”

Dr. Hussam Telleih added: “We don’t feel safe, the patients don’t feel safe… them.” [the Israelis] say that Hezbollah is firing rockets or bombs in or around the hospital, but that is not true… we deny all these things.”

The Lebanese government estimates that many of the cities and towns in the south have been deserted around a million people are on the move and from their homes – the largest displacement in the country’s history.

However, there are still many civilians who cannot or do not want to leave their homes.

“Why should I go?” says Mohammad Halawi. “It’s something like a collective punishment. They claim they target specific people, but they kill everyone.”

He stands in the destroyed block once housed 32 members of his family in five separate apartments. He tells us he believes the target may have been the house directly behind his.

His neighbor was a Hezbollah supporter, but he knew very little else about him. He and his family of eight, including children, died in the attack. More than a dozen other homes were destroyed.

His nephew’s young wife, Anwar, died – leaving behind two small children. Her husband was at work and survived. Several other family members were injured.

The war injured in the hospital are stabilized as quickly as possible and emergency operations are carried out if necessary.

But the patients are then evacuated to other areas that are considered relatively safer, such as Beirut.

However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a safe location in Lebanon.

“They have no heart, morals or humanity,” another injured man in the hospital, his head bound with a bandage, tells us.

“If they hit military targets, we would just remain silent,” said Oussama Najdi, who was from Deir Kanoun. “But they attacked our house – and we don’t even have a small weapon between us.”

Alex Crawford reports from southern Lebanon with cameraman Jake Britton, special producer Chris Cunningham and Lebanese producers Jihad Jneid and Sami Zein.