The events will bring together two senior ICRC war surgeons and 64 Lebanese surgeons from 34 hospitals throughout the country, including the American University Hospital, the French Hôtel Dieu Hospital, Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Saint-Georges Hospital and the Hôpital Libanais.

"In a country which has repeatedly seen outbreaks of fighting, medical staff and especially surgeons often face huge challenges when dealing with a massive influx of casualties", said Jordi Raich, head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon. Managing mass casualties will be one of the main topics discussed at the seminars. Since most participants already have experience treating weapon-caused wounds, they will also have the opportunity to share their knowledge of how to best deal with complex injuries.

The surgeons will discuss specific procedures needed for various types of injuries, particularly thoracic and abdominal wounds, caused by weapons ranging from handguns to bombs. Sessions will also focus on ballistics, orthopaedics and prosthetics.

Among other topics will be international humanitarian law and the rights and duties of medical personnel during armed conflicts. Attacks on medical facilities, difficulties in safely transporting victims to hospital and failure by the warring parties to respect medical care and those who give it are often the main problems faced by medical staff in wartime.

Similar seminars were held in Lebanon in 2007. Elsewhere in the Middle East, the ICRC recently organized seminars for war surgeons from Iraq and Gaza. Over the past 25 years, ICRC surgeons have treated more than 100,000 weapon-wounded patients around the world.