World Must Come to Lebanon’s Aid says United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

5 mins

The call comes as over 400,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon in the past two weeks, driven by ongoing Israeli military operations

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has called for greater international support to stem the ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ now engulfing Lebanon.

Filippo Grandi, spoke after arriving in the country’s capital of Beirut, following a massive escalation in Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion targeting armed group Hezbollah.

According to the Lebanese health ministry over 2,000 of its nationals have been killed and nearly 10,000 wounded since the start of Israel’s military action in the region a year ago.

Israel intensified its bombing campaign across the whole of Lebanon following the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah while rocket fire across the UN-patrolled Blue Line of separation has caused mass evacuations on both sides.

UNHCR chief Grandi, who arrived in Beirut on Saturday, said hundreds of thousands of people have been made destitute in recent days and appealed for an immediate ceasefire.

man searches through rubble in Beirut's devastated Dahieh neighborhood

The conflict ravaging the country is disrupting urgently required medical, food, clothing and other aid  shipments, said UN officials, calling for supply routes within, and into, Lebanon to be preserved, so the flow of relief items can continue.

‘International humanitarian law must be respected and cannot be ignored. Families have been left homeless, stranded in the open air with traumatised children unable to understand what’s happening’

Filippo Grandi, UNHCR

During his visit, Grandi met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and other senior officials, together with senior humanitarians, UNHCR staff, and displaced families.

‘I’ve witnessed today the tragic toll this war is taking on entire communities,’ he said.

‘International humanitarian law must be respected and cannot be ignored. Families have been left homeless, stranded in the open air with traumatised children unable to understand what’s happening. They all told me how desperate they are to feel safe, and for the airstrikes to stop so they can return to their towns and villages.

UNHCR officials walk through Beirut

‘(It is an) urgent moral imperative to help the people affected by this recent escalation. They should not pay the price for the abysmal failure to find political solutions and end this vicious cycle of violence. Now, in this hour of overwhelming need, the world must come to Lebanon’s aid.’

Lebanon’s Shelters Overwhelmed

With large numbers displaced within the country in just two weeks, government-run shelters are overwhelmed and UNHCR is working with humanitarian partners and the authorities to urgently find safe shelter for those forced to flee.

The agency is also providing people with essential relief items, cash donations, shelter assistance, medical care and other support. But the international community must significantly increase funding in order for humanitarians to respond adequately, the agency said.

UNHCR has launched an appeal for $111 million (AED 407 million) to assist one million displaced people in Lebanon through the end of 2024.

‘I deeply appreciate Lebanon’s generosity in hosting so many refugees over the years – including those forced to flee Syria – despite the considerable challenges the country has faced.’

Filippo Grandi, UNHCR

Grandi’s visit to Lebanon included meeting displaced Syrian refugees in Beirut’s Nabaa neighbourhood.

He said: ‘I deeply appreciate Lebanon’s generosity in hosting so many refugees over the years – including those forced to flee Syria – despite the considerable challenges the country has faced. These refugees are now forced to flee again with scant resources and nowhere safe to go.’

UNHCR aid plane in lebanon

The UN’s International Organisation for Migrants (IOM) said that as of October 2nd, 400,000 persons were displaced in the last two weeks alone.

‘Of these, more than 165,000 are living in 800 collective shelters across the country. These are schools, that the Government has urgently opened,’ said IOM Lebanon bureau chief Mathieu Luciano. ‘Of course, the numbers continue to rise, as heavy shelling continues to the south in the Beqaa  (Valley), in Beirut and other regions.’

Aid workers said that there was particular concern for the plight of Lebanon’s 180,000 migrant workers – many of whom are female domestic staff – who have been left destitute by the mass displacement.

We are receiving increasing reports of migrant domestic workers being abandoned by their Lebanese employers, either left on the streets or in the homes as their employers flee.

UNHCR

The UN agency said: ‘We are receiving increasing reports of migrant domestic workers being abandoned by their Lebanese employers, either left on the streets or in the homes as their employers flee. They come from Ethiopia, from Kenya, from Sri Lanka, Sudan, Bangladesh and the Philippines. And they too have been deeply affected by the violence in the country.’

As the crisis escalates the UN peacekeeping mission that patrols the Blue Line, UNIFIL, has expressed its deep concern over military activity by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) close to one of its positions inside Lebanese territory.

UNIFIL has said all its Blue Helmets (UN troops, the majority from India, Indonesia, Republic of Ireland, Ghana and Malaysia) are remaining in place at observation points and bases along the line of separation in accordance with their mandate.

‘The IDF has been repeatedly informed of this ongoing situation through regular channels. This is an extremely dangerous development,’ said UNIFIL in a tweet. ‘It is unacceptable to compromise the safety of UN peacekeepers carrying out their Security Council-mandated tasks.’

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