Victims of deadly escalation in Lebanon describe fleeing ‘total destruction’
In the Lebanese capital, United Nations humanitarian organizations reported “another night of strikes” and ongoing attacks, while aid workers continue to try to help all those in need. This “despite their families being displaced and searching for safety,” speak the UN’s top humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza.
“Another sleepless night in Beirut. Count the explosions that shook the city. There are no sirens. Don’t know what’s next. There’s just that uncertainty that lies ahead. Anxiety and fear are everywhere, said Jeanine Hennis, UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon.
In an update Thursday, the United Nations migration agency, IOMreported that 1,600 lives had been lost and another 6,000 injured in recent days. “The most important thing is that civilians are protected. IOM is providing support, but continued support is needed,” it speak. Head of the World Health Organization (WHO), while Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warning that the death toll “is rising” as hospitals are flooded with injured patients.
Many explosions
Among the aid groups that have provided assistance to about a million people on the move so far, the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCRsaid the humanitarian toll was “devastating”, while Israeli attacks continued to displace thousands of people.
It emphasized that all those caught up in the conflict in Lebanon “desperately need” the support of the international community to provide the basics: food, sanitation and medical care.
“We are talking about a lot of trauma and anxiety, so that will also be huge,” said Ivo Freijsen from UNHCR Lebanon. It highlights the traumatic experience of a young woman, Nancy, who described the scenes around her as “ terrifying…We began to accept that we could die at any moment…the The stress I am going through is indescribable,” she said speak UN agency, while an evacuated Lebanese woman, Muna, said she rushed out of her house because “there were 10 explosions at the same time.”
Communities in southern Lebanon also fled the escalating conflict, including Zeinab and Fatima, who were at home preparing to take exams when the shelling began, at which point they feared for their homes. about to collapse.
Terrorizing children
“My mother told us to pack our things quickly and we hurriedly left,” Zeinab, 14, told the United Nations Children’s Fund. UNICEF.
When she and her family arrived in Beirut after a “terrifying” journey, Zeinab described hearing shelling “all around us” while “the sound of explosions echoed everywhere.”
To help countless children across Lebanon, UNICEF stands ready to provide essential water, health, nutrition, education and psychosocial support services.
Nearly 130,000 newly displaced people were also reached by the World Food Program (WFP) with hot meals, food packs, bread, sandwiches and emergency cash assistance, UN agency tweeted.
“As the security situation in Lebanon deteriorates, the need for emergency food is growing rapidly,” said WFP Regional Director Corinne Fleischer, calling on all parties to continue to facilitate Favorable conditions for humanitarian access.
