Stories and activities from Chouf mobile clinic

Lebanon, Anout, 2026. Hussein (59), remembers the exact hour they left Bint Jbeil: 3 a.m., during suhour he smiles, the first meal Muslims before starting their Ramadan fast at dawn. What should have been a 90-minute drive to Saida, became a 17-hour crawl to safety.

He travelled with his wife and their three daughters, moving in long stretches of traffic. By the time they reached Saida, they were drained in a way sleep can’t fix.

For the first three nights, they didn’t have anywhere to go. They slept in their cars, waking up stiff and hungry. Hussein’s back disc and leg disability aching. Around them were other families doing the same, all trying to make a temporary situation feel survivable.

Hussein’s family carries more than displacement. Two of his daughters are widowed. Their loss was already heavy, and the war made it heavier. A son-in-law—once a college teacher—has had his work stop entirely due to the war.

Before all of this, Hussein was a school superintendent. He speaks about school the way people speak about something sacred: routine, purpose, the future. But Hussein’s own body has also been shaped by hardship. He has semi-paralysis and relies on a leg brace to move. Just 3 weeks ago, after saving and scraping for months, he finally managed to get fitted for a new device, one that would fit better and ease the pain.

In the rush to flee, he left it behind. His mouth tightens with anguish when he mentions it. There’s a brief silence where regret fills the space more than words ever could. Then he exhales, almost as if trying to placate himself, and says quietly, “That is what was destined.”

Now the family is renting an open garage space, eight people living together in a place never meant to be a home. They try to organise corners for sleeping, for privacy, for dignity, but the space doesn’t really allow for much of any of those things.

Hussein’s thoughts are still in Bint Jbeil. Some family members are still there. One of his daughters’ houses has been destroyed by Israeli bombardment. He has no news about his own home.

In the middle of the uncertainty, Hussein keeps doing what so many parents do in crises—measuring the day by what his family needs and holding onto faith that they would return to Bint Jbeil soon.

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Stories and activities from Chouf mobile clinic and Azarieh shelter

Lebanon-Stories and activities from Chouf mobile clinic and Azarieh shelter by Magnum Photographer Emin Özmen

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Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF361497

Date taken / Date Recorded 13/03/2026 11:59 AM

Country Lebanon

Detailed location Anout, Chouf district

Commissioning section MSF-SWITZERLAND

Photographer / videographer / producer Emin Ozmen

Usage Rights (MSF) MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available yes

Project section OCG

Editor's rating ★★★★★★ (B)

Maximum Size 7000px × 5250px 3.06 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist Israel’s intensified airstrikes across Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon are causing deaths, injuries, and widespread displacement.
This escalation comes after 15 months of a so-called ceasefire that never translated into real safety for civilians. Israeli attacks and incursions have continued throughout—and are now sharply escalating again.
Blanket forced displacement orders, alongside ongoing strikes and incursions, are forcing families to flee repeatedly, often with nowhere safe to go. Many are left stranded in the streets or trapped in their towns.
In response, MSF has launched a nationwide emergency operation. Our teams are on the ground providing care through mobile clinics, distributing essential relief items, and supporting hospitals, shelters, and primary health care services.

In the Chouf district near southern Lebanon, where thousands of families have sought refuge, MSF has set up emergency mobile-clinic activities and is supporting shelters to help address urgent health and basic needs. Many of the families we meet there—especially mothers and children—have been displaced time and time again, carrying exhaustion and fear on top of immediate medical needs.

MSF teams are also present in Azarieh—abandoned office buildings in downtown Beirut that have once again become a collective shelter. Here, many people were already struggling financially before the escalation, and displacement has pushed them further into hardship. Families describe overcrowded, ill-equipped shelter conditions, the uncertainty of returning to areas still under fire, and the impact of evacuated hospitals—especially for people who need regular treatment, chronic disease medication, or specialised care.
In Azarieh, our mobile teams provide medical consultations and sexual and reproductive health services, alongside mental health support and dedicated activities for children. Our logistics teams have distributed hygiene kits, mattresses, and blankets, and continue to deliver water trucking and drinking water on a near-daily basis.

The escalation is also affecting MSF staff directly, many of whom have been displaced themselves. They are showing up to provide care and assistance while coping with the same insecurity.

Across the country, MSF is providing similar emergency assistance in informal gathering sites, collective shelters, and primary healthcare centers, as needs continue to grow.

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