Radio National Breakfast Hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Lebanon
Mar 8, 2026
Dr Firass Abiad, former Lebanese health minister and practicing surgeon, speaks from Beirut. He describes volatile strikes across the capital and south. He outlines overwhelmed hospitals, evacuations and displaced medical staff. He recounts rescue difficulties and risks to responders. He comments on government moves to seize weapons and the challenges of enforcing them amid ongoing incursions.
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Mass Displacement And Rising Casualties
- Lebanon faces rapid, large-scale displacement with over half a million registered displaced and about 150,000 in shelters.
- Dr Firass Abiad reported more than 400 killed and around 1,500 injured, including many children, underscoring acute humanitarian pressure.
Hospital Capacity Strained By Evacuations
- Hospitals are congested after evacuations and closures following Israeli clearance orders affecting major Beirut hospitals.
- Patient transfers and loss of healthcare workers to displacement have increased load and reduced capacity at functioning hospitals.
Targeting Of First Responders And Ongoing Rubble Rescues
- Rescue efforts are hampered by reports of healthcare facilities and ambulances being targeted and first responder casualties.
- Dr Abiad cited eight first responder casualties and ongoing large casualty sites with many still under rubble in the Biqa'a valley incident.