“Civilians in the south of Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa (valley) are actually They are living with the same fear for their lives as before the ceasefire More people are being forced to flee…Many of the displaced have not even been allowed by Israeli forces to return to areas under their control in the south,” said the UN refugee agency (Karolina Lindholm Billing).unhcr) representative in Lebanon.
At least 380 people have died since April 17 That’s despite a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, the agency said.
In addition, homes and public services across large parts of the country have suffered “widespread destruction”, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, the UNHCR official said.
He described meeting families who had tried to return to their homes in Nabatieh and Tire after a US-brokered ceasefire was implemented, only to find broken masonry and chaos.
“After seeing them they were even more devastated than before houses completely destroyed,” Ms. Lindholm Billing explained. ”One man, he showed me a picture of his destroyed house on his phone. And now he’s back inside a sleeping bag on the floor in the classroom that serves as a collective shelter, with nothing to return to and a very uncertain future.
Paramedics are not the target
Civilians and emergency workers are protected under international humanitarian law, but This has not stopped non-combatants from being targeted Who live in fear of being killed every day.
“I want to share a clear message from Lebanese Red Cross volunteers: they are seeking protection,” said Tommaso Della Longa, spokesman for UN partner, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). While visiting volunteer paramedics in Lebanon last week he said that “Every time they go on an ambulance mission, they hug each other and say goodbye to each other, unsure of whether they will return safely or not“
Over the past two months, two IFRC Lebanon paramedics were killed or died from injuries while responding to callouts in southern Lebanon: Youssef Assaf and Hassan Badawi.
“In a normal world, Red Cross volunteers would not need flak jackets or helmets in ambulances, the symbol should protect them,” Mr Della Longa said. “But this is no ordinary world. In Lebanon, Yusuf and Hassan died while trying to save their lives. The symbol did not protect him, nor did his protective equipment“
great turmoil
Today across Lebanon, approximately 1.8 million people are displaced by the war between Hezbollah fighters and Israel, which flared up again on March 2 when Israeli forces responded to a Hezbollah rocket attack three days after Israel and the US began bombing Iran.
According to UNHCR, thousands of people remain in areas controlled by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. UN humanitarian convoys continue to deliver assistance to people in these inaccessible areas south of the Litani River. “But Access is a challenge“It remains extremely difficult for aid teams to meet the basic needs of more people,” Ms Lindholm Billing said.
“Families forced from their homes speak not only of loss but also of being stripped of their dignity,” stressed IFRC’s Mr Della Longa. Restoring people’s dignity is “at the heart of the response”, he said.
Delivering aid is important, he said, but also “listening, involving people and enabling them to support each other”.It has not restored norms or livelihoods, nor does it guarantee basic needs like water, food or health care.“.
