The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon

Sobhiya Najjar, Tuesday 1 Oct 2024

The ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed hundreds, displaced hundreds of thousands, and led to a humanitarian crisis of unparalleled proportions in the country, reports Sobhiya Najjar

photos: AFP

 

For the ninth consecutive day, Israeli forces have continued their assault on Lebanon, executing intense air strikes on various towns and villages in the south, the Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut. These attacks have led to horrific massacres against civilians, creating a state of fear and desperation across the country.

In the wake of the assassination of Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah last week, the situation has become even more tense, compounded by the increasingly aggressive Israeli rhetoric, including threats of a ground invasion.

Against this chaotic backdrop, the Israeli military has expanded its operations, targeting Beirut for the first time since the conflict began. An air strike on a building in the Cola area resulted in the loss of four lives and left four others injured.

The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is dire, with the number of displaced individuals soaring to alarming levels. The total number of displaced people has exceeded one million, with an increase of approximately 40,000 seeking refuge in shelters, such as schools, churches, and mosques. This brings the total displaced population to 160,000, up from 120,000.

Among the 850 schools designated for shelter, more than 600 have reached their maximum capacity. The majority of displaced individuals are concentrated in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and Sidon.

As shelters in Tripoli, Akkar, and the Bekaa Valley become overcrowded, plans are in place to open new public schools. However, this comes with significant logistical challenges regarding preparation and the provision of essential humanitarian aid. Currently, the World Food Programme (WFP) can only provide food for approximately 100,000 displaced individuals, accounting for roughly 10 per cent of the total.

The sudden escalation of Israeli operations has forced many residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley to flee their homes. They have left behind their possessions, escaping the horrors of war in search of safety. Many were compelled to leave without identification, water, food, or even adequate clothing, particularly for their children.

With no time to consider their destinations, they fled amidst the chaos of bombardment and gunfire, unaware that they would seek refuge in public schools. Upon arrival, they discovered they lacked essential items such as food, medicine, and heating supplies, especially those who fled to mountainous regions.

Their concerns about sleeping arrangements or adapting to this new reality were far from their minds, as they were running from the inferno created by Israeli air strikes on their villages. In the schools, they faced critical shortages of bedding and food supplies. The need for bedding has become increasingly urgent, overshadowing even the need for food and water.

The displaced individuals have often found themselves sleeping on the streets and in public squares, making bedding a pressing necessity. Visits to shelters have revealed a continuous increase in demand for bedding. Due to supply shortages and rising prices, the market is flooded with mattresses that are only five cm thick and provide minimal comfort. Even those that are 10cm thick are of poor quality, losing their thickness upon use and becoming unfit for sleeping after just a week.

Exploiting the crisis, traders have raised their prices exorbitantly, as if the war were an opportunity for profit. Following the sudden displacement of families, a black market for bedding has emerged, leading to increased demand for rental housing as shelters overflow. Due to soaring rents, the most viable option has become renting unfurnished apartments and waiting for what can be secured over time.

One displaced individual from a border town expressed his plight, stating that he had been forced to leave the southern suburbs of Beirut for the city of Jiyeh south of Beirut but had struggled to find a furnished home at an affordable price. Ultimately, he had rented a caretaker’s room in a building with his family of eight. Their struggles are compounded by the need to secure rent for an empty home, which amounts to at least $500.

The prices of mattresses have skyrocketed to about $25 for low-quality ones that are just 10 cm thick. Despite this, heads of households must spend $175 to purchase bedding, complicating their search for such items, as traders often sell in bulk. Many displaced families have resorted to approaching schools for bedding, hoping for a semblance of comfort at night.

 

WOMEN AND CHILDREN: The plight of women and children has been particularly dire during the conflict.

Najla, a resident of Nabi Sheet in the Baalbek district, had no idea she would leave her home without returning. She lost her house to Israeli air strikes and was forced to evacuate with her five daughters at the last moment, despite her determination to stay in their home filled with cherished memories.

When Najla arrived at a nearby shelter, she discovered that she and her daughters had no basic necessities. They lacked clothing, prayer rugs, sanitary pads, and even anything to protect them from the cold nights.

In a voice filled with anguish, Najla said that “the suffering of women during war is far greater than anyone else’s. We had to tear up some blankets in the schools to use as sanitary pads because we received no assistance from volunteers in the early days. Sanitary pads have never been provided by the Lebanese authorities, even before the war.”

“My daughters and I wish we could skip our periods due to the high prices and the emotional distress from not being able to buy sanitary pads. We need a private room, but all the school windows are glass, and there’s no private space to change our clothes. The bathrooms are shared and not clean, and our suffering from the war increases day by day,” she said.

Najla confirmed that all the political parties and the state have left them alone, especially the people of Baalbek-Hermel, who have been abandoned for a long time. According to the international NGO Human Rights Watch, women and girls in armed conflicts face multiple forms of violation, including sexual violence linked to conflict, poverty, unemployment, and a lack of support. They also suffer from a deprivation of life-saving medical services.

In recent days, more than 60 children have been killed, and hundreds more have been injured due to massive Israeli air strikes across Lebanon. Classrooms are empty, families are displaced, and the ongoing violence has shattered any sense of safety or normalcy in children’s lives.

The escalating violence and impending war have plunged children into a deepening humanitarian crisis. Thousands of families have fled their homes in southern and eastern Lebanon in search of safer areas, leaving behind their livelihoods and their children’s futures. Without access to education, healthcare, and basic necessities, the physical and emotional burden on Lebanon’s children is catastrophic.

One displaced woman tearfully recounted that “we are in desperate need of mattresses and blankets. Our children lack basic essentials like milk and diapers. We left our homes, and our children are without toys or activities. They ask for simple things like a ball to play with, but nothing is available.”

The suffering of women and children in these harsh conditions continues to mount as they bear the brunt of the war, living in constant fear of the unknown. The pain they experience extends beyond physical injuries; it encompasses lost memories and shattered dreams, reflecting the kind of profound humanitarian suffering that is hard to comprehend.

As people flee the most affected areas of Lebanon, Fatima, a migrant worker from Sierra Leone who lived in Tyre, shared her distressing story. She explained that her employers had not only abandoned her in a southern village while it was under Israeli fire but had also taken her passport with them, increasing her suffering.

This situation is compounded by the kafala system, which deprives migrant workers of their rights and forces domestic workers to endure inhumane conditions. On 23 September, as the sound of bombings intensified around them, Fatima stated that her employers left her alone in their home. “They told me to stay there and that everything would be okay,” she explained.

Afterwards, she fled from her employer’s home in southern Lebanon, taking only a few clothes with her. She still does not possess her passport or have a way to obtain one. Like tens of thousands of others, she is grappling with the trauma of fleeing from the bombings.

In July, more than 28,000 migrant workers, according to the UN migration agency, were living in heavily bombed areas of southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley. Most of them were women. This number does not include nearly 33,000 workers living in Beirut, where walkie-talkies and pagers exploded last week, and Israel has now launched air strikes.

As is the case with all of Lebanon’s population, it is too early to determine how many migrant workers have been forcibly displaced or how many remain in danger.

In this time of crisis, there is a growing feeling among migrant workers that their embassies are not doing enough to assist them. Fatima lamented that the Kenyan Consulate had not reached out to her, for example.

 

Humanitarian crisis: The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is significantly worsened by the lack of Lebanese government intervention and the failures of state institutions.

Without individual initiatives, access to basic necessities such as food and water would be severely compromised. While social-media influencers have tirelessly raised funds and highlighted the plight of the displaced, the government has neglected its responsibilities, passively observing the country’s decline.

The government’s shortcomings are stark, with officials offering flimsy justifications for their inaction. Since the onset of the war, the government has failed to provide for the displaced, and no decisions have been made to open available spaces, such as government offices, churches, and mosques, for shelter despite the mass displacement in southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley, and other areas.

Major-General Mohammad Kheir, head of the High Relief Commission, has not utilised the allocated budget to assist the displaced. There has been no directive from the Council of Ministers regarding housing allowances, further impairing the Commission’s capacity to fulfill its mission.

Some officials have shifted responsibility to international organisations that previously assisted during the 2006 war but are now largely absent. Current aid relies heavily on individual initiatives supported by expatriates, which are insufficient to meet the overwhelming needs of the displaced population.

Reports from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and other UN agencies indicate that the conflict has devastated the Lebanese economy, with poverty rates in the southern regions projected to reach 94 per cent in Nabatieh and 87 per cent in southern Lebanon. The vital tourism sector faces losses exceeding $3 billion, while the agricultural sector has suffered significantly from the use of phosphorus bombs.

As of mid-month, 52,678 homes and institutions have been damaged, with 50,210 homes and 2,468 economic establishments affected by the Israeli aggression. These numbers do not include damage incurred in the past week.

Despite these challenging circumstances, Lebanon has received some humanitarian assistance in response to the escalating conflict with Israel. The European Union has pledged €10 million, Canada $10 million Canadian dollars, and France has provided 12 tons of medical supplies. The UAE has also contributed $100 million in emergency humanitarian aid. However, these contributions fall short of meeting actual needs.

In the absence of state support and political party intervention, social solidarity has become a crucial lifeline for the displaced and those in need during these trying times. Media portrayals often fail to capture the full extent of the suffering experienced by individuals on the streets and in shelters.

With ongoing reports of shortages in food and essential goods, the healthcare sector is facing immense challenges in providing care for the injured and those with chronic illnesses. The UN has issued an urgent call for an end to the military escalation, stressing the necessity of protecting civilians and infrastructure. The current situation is regarded as the worst since the 2006 war, with rising fears of a comprehensive humanitarian catastrophe if the Israeli air strikes persist.

The UN has emphasised the urgent need for humanitarian aid in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and UN humanitarian coordinator Imran Rida calling for $426 million to support civilians impacted by the escalating conflict.

The UN children’s agency UNICEF has highlighted the “serious escalation” of the violence, particularly affecting children, and is urgently seeking $105 million over the next three months to provide essential supplies. Since October 2023, over 100 children have been killed, and more than 300,000 have been displaced, leading to severe psychological trauma.

Abdel-Nasser Abu Bakr of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that the Organisation is developing a response plan to bolster the Lebanese health sector, having delivered over 60 tons of emergency health supplies since 8 October last year amidst significant challenges due to numerous injuries.

ESCWA has called for immediate international intervention to resolve the conflict and address its root causes, reporting that on 23 September alone, Israeli air strikes resulted in 569 deaths and 1,850 injuries.

Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of ESCWA, indicated that the conflict has decimated both infrastructure and social cohesion, complicating recovery efforts.