By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ 12 hours ago
Edit Thread

Displaced families camp out in central Beirut after Israel bombs southern suburbs


Families with children spend the night outdoors in the central Beirut district


A child sleeps on the streets in Martyrs’ Square

‘Humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels’: OCHA

“Due to the scale of escalation and displacement, humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels that have exhausted current humanitarian efforts and resources,” the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Lebanon said in a post on X.

“Urgent support is needed at various levels and the priority is to protect civilians and support the government and partners in assessing and meeting needs,” it added.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Beirut overnight after the Israeli army issued several rounds of evacuation orders for the city’s southern suburbs as it carried out an unprecedented wave of air attacks there.

This has compounded a displacement crisis in a city already teeming with people who have arrived in recent days fleeing Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon.


Lebanon’s displaced ‘traumatised due to bombardment, uncertainty’

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure as Israel continues its air attacks on Lebanon.

“We have opened seven shelters for the displaced, currently hosting 1,600 including Lebanese, Palestinian & Syrian,” Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.

He added that many people are traumatised due to the ongoing bombardment, uncertainty and fears. “For some, it is trauma re-lived given repeated cycles of conflict over the decades,” Lazzarini said, warning that “a further expansion of the war will only bring more suffering for civilians”.