Palestinian wounded in Israeli bombardment is brought to a hospital in Deir al Balah, south of the Gaza Strip, Nov 2, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

BEIRUT - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday requested separately $50 million and $10.4 million in funding to support the health responses in Gaza and Lebanon, both of which have seen escalating tensions with Israel.

The appeal came at the end of a visit by WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmed Al-Mandhari to Lebanon's capital Beirut to meet with officials and WHO staff to reinforce health system preparedness for a potential spillover of the Gaza conflict into Lebanon.

Al-Mandhari also highlighted the WHO's assistance to eight Lebanese hospitals to "scale up their capacity to potentially receive greater numbers of injured patients"

"An increased spillover of hostilities into southern Lebanon would place even more civilians at risk of death or injury and potentially threaten the health security of the entire region," a statement released by the United Nations Information Center in Beirut quoted Al-Mandhari as saying.

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The statement voiced the WHO's support for Lebanon's plan to establish the Public Health Emergency Operation Center to "coordinate and support all health preparedness and response activities."

Al-Mandhari also highlighted the WHO's assistance to eight Lebanese hospitals to "scale up their capacity to potentially receive greater numbers of injured patients."

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Tensions at the Lebanon-Israel border escalated when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli military positions on Oct 8 in support of Hamas, which had initiated a surprise attack on Israel the day before. Israel retaliated with heavy artillery fire and airstrikes, targeting multiple areas in southern Lebanon.