Middle East Crisis: Emergency Updates
LAST UPDATE: 21st APRIL 2026
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is alarmed by the dramatic escalation in conflict across the Middle East in recent weeks and months, following strikes by US and Israeli forces in Iran and Iran’s subsequent retaliatory actions across the region.
Following the announcement of a temporary ceasefire, a fragile sense of relief is overshadowed by uncertainty and caution among people in Lebanon and across the Middle East. This escalation has deepened fear and insecurity for millions of people, including in Lebanon, Iran, and Gulf countries. With casualties in the thousands and hundreds of thousands forced to flee, MSF calls for the protection of civilians, as well as hospitals, health facilities, and other essential infrastructure.
The most affected countries are Iran and Lebanon, where ongoing hostilities and airstrikes are driving displacement and increasing humanitarian and medical needs. In Lebanon, MSF has launched a nationwide emergency response, delivering large-scale distributions of shelter materials, water, and essential items to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, while adapting activities to maintain continuity of care and support health facilities receiving casualties.
What is MSF doing and how can I help?
MSF emergency preparedness and response: MSF teams across the region are fully mobilized, with emergency teams deployed in Lebanon, Armenia, and Iraq. Preparedness measures include contingency planning, close monitoring of the situation, pre-positioning of medical supplies, and deployment of mobile services to respond to growing needs. To mitigate the impact of disruptions, supply routes have been redirected through alternative channels, and efforts are underway to explore additional transport options, despite increased costs, to ensure the continuity of medical activities. Since 28 February, MSF has shipped 42 tons of medical supplies destined for the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.
See below for our most up-to-date information on the unfolding situation and MSF's response across the region:
Lebanon: Mass Displacement as Bombardment Intensifies
Since Monday, 2 March, tens of thousands of people in Lebanon thousands have fled their homes following relentless Israeli airstrikes across multiple areas.
Our teams are witnessing large-scale displacement, severe traffic congestion, and families seeking safety with almost no belongings. Civilians - already exhausted by repeated cycles of violence - are once again paying the highest price.
Read latest response from our teams on the ground here.
Iran: Continuing Medical Assistance Amid Rising Tensions
Before 28 February, when the escalation began, MSF had been running three projects in Iran, providing essential healthcare to marginalised people – including 6,000 medical consultations per month, as well as midwifery care, infectious disease screening and treatment, and mental health support.
Although airstrikes have created operational challenges and despite the communication blackout, MSF has so far been able to continue some activities. Receiving information from our staff is, however, extremely difficult.
Our clinic in Tehran remains temporarily closed due to heavy bombing, while our clinics in Mashhad and Kerman are still open, operating with reduced staff.
Our teams are seeking authorisation from authorities to scale up emergency care support in response to conflict-related needs (opening our clinics 24/7 and supporting the local health systems). We are awaiting a response.
Gaza: Massive Scale-Up of Lifesaving Assistance Needed
We continue to call for a massive scale-up of lifesaving assistance and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. We are committed to remaining to provide assistance in Gaza and the West Bank for as long as possible, working under our registration with the Palestinian Authority.
You can read more about our response in Gaza here.
