Fear and hunger is rising across Lebanon as Israel bombs entire communities into rubble, attacks health workers and hospitals, and forces more families from their homes. Last night saw the heaviest and deadliest airstrikes in the city centre of Beirut so far.
With over 1.2 million people now displaced, conditions in nearly 1,000 communal shelters are getting more desperate by the day. Islamic Relief aid workers in the shelters report that food is becoming so scarce that many families are splitting a single meal to make it last throughout the day.
Newly displaced people have told Islamic Relief staff of horrific conditions, with one woman describing fleeing as bombs fell as like “walking on fire”.
Islamic Relief has so far distributed over 12,000 family-sized ready-to-eat food packs in the shelters, as well as thousands of hygiene kits, blankets, mattresses, medical items and other vital aid*. But the charity is running short of funds to keep distributions going, with existing funds set to run out in less than 10 days.
One woman, Umm Issa, described to Islamic Relief how she and her children fled bombing in southern Lebanon, taking many hours to drive around 40kms:
“My daughter has cerebral palsy so we didn’t intend to leave the house. Suddenly the bombing started and there were many airstrikes on the roads and inside the town. I left for the sake of my children. They could no longer bear the sounds, the screaming and the strikes. My daughter was anxious and in severe fear.
“So we packed up and got into the car. Then there was another airstrike. My son started clearing the rocks and debris from the roads… imagine (it was like) walking on fire and rubble on the road. When we reached Hboush there were more airstrikes and people were fleeing in the opposite direction.
“My daughter started screaming and collapsed from the panic. We stayed on the pavement for 6 hours, listening to the sound of bombing. Every time we tried to leave we had to go back. We reached Al Masayleh and it was the same. Dozens of displaced people were on the roads – Syrian refugees, Lebanese, people from all nationalities. They couldn’t walk any more from exhaustion.
“It took us [many hours]… just to get to Anqoun (another town in the south) and the people of this area welcomed us with love and kindness and gave us shelter in this school. But my daughter refuses to sleep in a room and prefers to sleep in the car out of fear. When the doors shut quickly she thinks it the sound of more bombs. It’s something no one should have to endure. It’s a crime in every sense of the word.”
With shelters full to bursting, many families are sleeping on the streets. Another woman, Nazima, a mother of 3 displaced by the bombing in southern Beirut, told Islamic Relief:
“We left because we no longer have a home, nor safety, nor any place to shelter us. We went from bombing to bombing. I escaped and we’re sleeping on the street now. If anyone provides us with food, we eat – if they don’t, we wait for the mercy of God. There’s no place to wash or shower, especially for us women. We all just need a private space to clean ourselves on our own. We’re women with children, babies, there are pregnant women too… We’re all floating on the streets. We have children with fevers, they’re getting sick, vomiting, and we’re not able to do anything because we don’t have money.”
The Israeli invasion and escalation in bombing has so far killed over 1,800 people and injured over 10,000 – with most of the casualties civilians, including hundreds of children.
Jad Assaf, a senior humanitarian programme officer with Islamic Relief in Beirut said, “The situation here is critical, it’s getting worse every day, and the resources are not enough. We are in urgent need of more assistance and we urgently need help from the international community. It’s not just about providing aid, we also desperately need diplomatic support to stop the attacks. Right now we’re just trying to stay on top while everything else is crashing around us. Every day we’re confronted with the scale of the crisis. Wherever you go you see people on the streets and that’s just heartbreaking. Everyone is exhausted. You can just feel the anxiety. there is always this fear of what will happen next.”
As Israel also steps up attacks on displaced civilians in Gaza in recent days, a ceasefire across the region is more urgent than ever. Islamic Relief continues to call on international governments to do all they can – such as ending arms sales – to increase pressure for a ceasefire and protection of civilians.
*So far Islamic Relief has distributed at least 11,964 family food parcels, 500 meat packs, 2,308 hygiene kits, 1,335 blankets, 1,335 mattresses, and 17,609 medical items.
