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Bakery owner in Beirut provides free pastries for Lebanon’s displaced
In Beirut’s Hazmieh area, the owner of Abu Safi Bakery is giving out baked goods free of charge to those displaced in the south because of Israeli air strikes. The owner, Uncle Ghattas, placed a sign on the front of his bakery reading: “My displaced Lebanese brother, take what you need for free. The bakery is yours.”
In a video on Instagram verified by Al Jazeera, Ghattas is heard urging displaced people to come to his shop every day. “I am responsible for providing pastries to the displaced and they are welcome. Send as many people as you want,” he says, ending the clip with a victory sign.
Families in Lebanon ‘living in perilous circumstances’: UNICEF, WFP
The executive directors of UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) have issued a statement detailing the “devastation” they have witnessed during a three-day visit to Lebanon.
“The war that the world wanted to avoid in Lebanon is now happening and has already triggered a catastrophe,” said the statement by Ted Chaiban (UNICEF) and Carl Skau (WFP).
The heads of the two UN agencies said they visited settlements and shelters and spoke with government officials and civil society leaders.
“Each person had a story – a story of forced displacement and multiple struggles,” they said. “Families are living in perilous circumstances. And as the conflict worsens, the psychological toll on the population, particularly among children and youth, is increasing. Almost every child in Lebanon has been impacted in some way.”
Chaiban and Skau said about 1.2 million people have been affected so far and nearly 190,000 displaced individuals are being sheltered in more than 1,000 facilities. “Many have been victims of bombardments, losing loved ones, their homes, access to education, and are facing an uncertain future in possibly deeper poverty.”
More than 25% of Lebanon under Israeli evacuation orders: UN
The Middle East director of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Rema Jamous Imseis, says new Israeli evacuation orders for 20 villages in southern Lebanon mean more than one-quarter of the country is now affected.
“People are heeding these calls to evacuate, and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” he said at a news briefing in Geneva.
More than 1.2 million people have evacuated their homes after Israel issued evacuation orders, warning them to leave or face bombardment.
Attacks by Israel, which also began ground incursions into southern Lebanon, have killed at least 2,309 people over the past year, the Lebanese government said. The majority have been killed since Israel expanded its military campaign in late September.
