A one-year-old girl was seriously burned about a month ago when her family’s balcony exploded in southern Lebanon during a birthday gathering.
“The mother was in the kitchen. She was preparing breakfast while the girls were playing on the terrace, on what we call the veranda, because it was closed with glass,” said Clotilde Bigot, an independent journalist in Beirut.
The family planned to flee Lebanon immediately after this meeting. An explosion occurred next door, on their balcony, which created a sort of fireball.
“The three girls playing on the balcony almost caught fire. And the mother, in a burst of panic and truly despair […] had to push her daughters out of the window, because it was the only way to prevent them from dying,” continued the journalist, who collected the testimony of Ivana’s mother, aged a little more than a year.
The little girl, her sister and another child were taken to a nearby hospital. Ivana suffered third-degree burns on her arms, legs, scalp and face.
After complications, the little girl was finally transferred to a specialized burn hospital and was able to begin her recovery.
“She is doing better, she is talking, she is eating and on Monday, she is going to have skin grafts on her burns,” continued the journalist.
Life in anguish
After a few days of respite, the Lebanese who live in Beirut and the surrounding areas have regained the anxiety of the strikes.
“Everyone lives in a kind of anxiety, we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Everyone is a little torn between having to prepare for the worst and at the same time, having to take advantage of the moment,” she summarized.
Several strikes shook the southern suburbs of the capital on Saturday, after several days of relative calm. “It was a little bit of a reminder of reality, a reminder of war, at least for the people of Beirut,” she added.
Hospitals, an obvious target
“What is very special when we speak with doctors and surgeons is that there is always this value, this principle of wanting to treat whatever happens. They don’t even ask themselves the question of how or what the country will become. Right now, it’s ‘we have patients and we want to help them,’” she continued.
Despite the risks and although they are obviously affected, medical staff are focused on saving lives.
“The medical staff are simply exhausted. There are many doctors who left Lebanon during the economic crisis. So, everyone is working a lot and no one knows exactly what is going to happen,” she added.
According to the WHO, more than 20 attacks by the Israeli army have targeted health facilities in Lebanon since September 17. Around 72 deaths and 43 injuries have been reported among medical staff, and sometimes even patients.
“We prepare for the worst while hoping for the best,” concluded the journalist.
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