Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in south Lebanon is growing. The UN is warning many villages have been cut off from aid deliveries and are completely without food and water. The British charity Oxfam says Israel’s hold over south Lebanon has created a “logistical nightmare” in reaching the victims. Hospitals are feeling the effects of Israel’s bombing of power stations and fuel supplies. The Lebanese government is warning a fuel shortage could shut down several hospitals within days.

• Bilal Masri, Assistant General Director of the Rafik Hariri University in Beirut: “We are not running on full capacity now. We are running only on 25% capacity of the hospital. We are saving on energy. There is no air-conditioning except in the important wards, like the ICU, OR, CCU and the emergency room.”