Humanitarian organizations report that southern Lebanon (including the Bekaa Valley) is devastated – not only because there are no houses left standing – but because there are no schools, hospitals, or roads to access.
Action Against Hunger warns that even if Israel stopped bombing southern Lebanon and Hezbollah today, the displaced would not be able to return to their homes because they would find nothing. The population of the south has no other option than to stay for a time in relatives’ homes or in improvised shelters.
The UN estimates that there are more than 1 million displaced Lebanese
The NGO denounces that the modus operandi of the Israeli forces in the south of the country – 10% of the Lebanese territory – is reminiscent of that used in Gaza. Action Against Hunger warns: many years will have to pass for the country to shine again as before: reconstruction will take decades.
Sonia Ben Salem, advocacy coordinator for Action Against Hunger in Lebanon, says it is important to break a misconception. “Just because there are fewer people in shelters doesn’t mean the crisis is over.” “Displacement has become less visible, many people have moved from shelters to rented rooms, relatives’ houses or damaged homes, but they remain displaced,” he adds.
There is a risk that the international community will think that the situation is improving because less is said about it.
It recognizes that the main difficulty for humanitarian workers is access. “There are areas where the security situation remains very complicated and where movement restrictions clearly harm humanitarian work.” And he warns that “there is a risk that the international community will think that the situation is improving because less is said about it,” although that is far from reality.
In the crosshairs of Netanyahu’s army: the Christian neighborhood of Tire (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
This Tuesday again, the Israeli army has ordered new evacuations to the south of the country, specifically in the Christian neighborhood of Tire, which is one of the most emblematic enclaves of the ancient Phoenician city. It is one of the oldest urban cradles on the planet, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
