Several aid workers told CNN that Lebanese people are still struggling to piece back their communities and livelihoods, after Israel’s offensive in Gaza spilled into Lebanon these past two years.
Now, those trying to survive renewed Israeli military attacks are being psychologically retraumatized by the sound of strikes, scenes of mass displacement and increased bloodshed as shelter becomes scarce, relief staffers say.
One humanitarian worker warned that “even small triggers, like a door slamming, cause people to jump in fear, reliving past experiences of violence and loss.”
“Each airstrike is not just a new danger: It brings back traumas from previous conflicts, including past wars and the Beirut blast,” Cyril Bassil, a staffer for CARE International in Lebanon, told CNN by email on Tuesday.
“The mental health of Lebanese communities, already severely strained by years of conflict, economic crises and social tension, is now further deteriorating under these attacks,” Bassil said. “In Beirut, the mood is one of pervasive fear, uncertainty and sleepless nights. The combined physical and psychological toll is immense.”
Between October 2023 and November 27, 2024, Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed more than 3,961 people, including 248 children, Human Rights Watch reported, citing the Lebanese Health Ministry. Entire villages were razed, and swaths of the capital, Beirut, were reduced to debris following the fierce Israeli campaign.
Another aid worker warned that humanitarian staff are inadequately prepared for the scale and scope of attacks.
“There’s no response preparedness,” Maya Andari, the director of program quality for CARE International in Lebanon, told CNN in a voice message on Wednesday. “People are extremely, extremely tired. They’re not ready for this.”