Lebanon is facing a growing shortage of trauma kits in hospitals after mass casualties from large-scale Israeli strikes pushed medical supplies close to depletion, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO officials warned that some hospitals could run out of life-saving trauma kits within days if another major casualty event occurs.
The kits include bandages, antibiotics and anaesthetics used to treat war-related injuries. WHO’s representative in Lebanon said the country used roughly three weeks’ worth of some trauma management supplies in just one day, showing how sharply demand has surged.
The warning came after one of the deadliest days in the current escalation. Recent public reporting said Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed more than 300 people and injured more than 1,100, overwhelming hospitals already working under severe pressure.
WHO said another mass casualty incident on that scale could trigger disastrous consequences. The agency warned that hospitals may lose more lives because they lack sufficient emergency supplies to respond.
The crisis extends beyond trauma care. WHO also warned that medicines for chronic illnesses, including insulin for diabetes patients, could run out within weeks because the wider regional conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted supply chains.
At the same time, the cost of delivering medical supplies into Lebanon has tripled, while the WHO continues to face funding constraints. Together, these pressures are making it harder for health authorities to keep hospitals stocked.
WHO said it is working with Lebanon’s Ministry of Health to transfer supplies between hospitals and prevent total stock depletion. Even so, the agency warned that the national health system is nearing its limit.
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Recent WHO and humanitarian updates also describe repeated attacks on healthcare facilities, overwhelming patient loads and rising displacement across the country. According to recent reporting and humanitarian updates, more than one million people have fled their homes since the conflict escalated in early March.
