WHO sends medical supplies to Lebanon amid border clashes with Israel

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday it had sent medical supplies to Lebanon amid escalating clashes near its border with Israel.

The shipments arrived in Beirut on Sunday and include enough medicines and surgical and trauma supplies for around 800 to 1,000 patients, WHO said in a statement.

The delivery comes following escalating violence between the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, and Israel over the past week.

Highlighting Lebanon’s crippled health system, the WHO said the country already faces a shortage of specialized health workers, medicines and medical equipment.

The Israeli military on Monday ordered the evacuation of residents of northern Israel living near the Lebanese border to state-funded guest houses. In a post on formerly known as Twitter, the Israeli military said the evacuation had been approved by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and would affect 28 communities.

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire several times over the past eight days, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, launched attacks on Israeli villages, farms and military outposts last week. in a bloody attack that targeted civilians and left more than 1,300 dead.

Hezbollah said last Sunday it had fired guided rockets and artillery to show its “solidarity” with the Palestinian people.

Further exchanges later in the week killed three Hezbollah fighters and damaged several homes in southern Lebanon, the group said.

Following such violence, the WHO said it was working with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health to “strengthen readiness and preparedness” for a possible increase in casualties.

The WHO has called for an end to the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

“WHO reiterates its call for the protection of civilians, health workers and health infrastructure and, ultimately, an end to hostilities and violence,” the organization wrote on Sunday.

Hezbollah waged a five-week war against Israel in 2006. The United States and its allies fear the militant group will exploit the war between Israel and Hamas to open a second front in the conflict.

An Israeli military spokesperson warned last week of “very serious consequences” if Hezbollah joins the growing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis deepens in the Gaza Strip, as hospitals warn they are on the verge of collapse due to Israel’s siege on food, water and medical supplies .

A United Nations agency warned on Sunday that Gaza was “lacking life” after Israel cut off supplies and ordered more than 1.1 million people to move south ahead of an expected ground attack on the territory.

At least 2,670 Palestinians have died in the conflict and 9,600 others have been injured, Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday. The death toll exceeded that of the 2014 Gaza war, which lasted more than six weeks.