Israel's relentless attacks on Lebanon are threatening the operations of healthcare facilities, forcing a number of hospitals in the country's south to cease functioning, while local people who didn't evacuate from the area are struggling amid a barrage of missile strikes.
On October 7, the anniversary of the start of the Gaza war, intensified Israeli attacks targeted the southern city of Sur, where 54-year-old Abbas Mazen's home was struck, leaving him hospitalized.
"We were cooking, preparing for lunch. A missile hit us. I was injured. I don't know where the rest of my family went," he said from his hospital bed on Tuesday.
Mazen said he was unable to take his wife and two daughters to flee the city despite the ongoing evacuation, which started two weeks ago.
"We stayed because we didn't think there was anything that could cause trouble in our house. We would carefully move around if we had to. I couldn't leave. I have no place else to go. I am employee, but I also have some olive trees and goats. My work has shut down, so I'm relying what I can produce like milk and cheese. I also bake my own bread," he said.
The four hospitals which remain open in Sur are less crowded than expected due to the mass exodus of residents, but are still facing up to the challenges of dealing with trauma patients from the attacks. At one of the hospitals, nurse Hassan Eissa described the grim reality facing medical staff.
"Despite the bombing around us we kept working. Recently the workload has not been as intense, because most people have left the city. The population is no longer as dense. At the beginning, the air raids would destroy buildings. Entire families would come to us in pieces. I have never seen something this harsh in my career. It's a crime against our people," said Eissa.
China Global Television Network (CGTN) correspondent Adel El Mahrouky who was reporting from the hospital said Hezbollah members urged him to film quickly, warning that any location in Sur could be targeted without warning. Moments later, an Israeli airstrike hit just meters away, forcing him to flee.
Mahrouky described a "state of panic" following the attack, and showed how he and his camera crew were initially unable to leave due to fallen electrical cables blocking the hospital exit. He said the ongoing crisis has created an air of distrust among residents and left many people on edge, and said he was even warned to stop filming by some locals.
Lebanese hospitals struggle on amid barrage of Israeli attacks
Lebanese hospitals struggle on amid barrage of Israeli attacks
