UNITED NATIONS, Oct 18 (IPS) – In the midst of Israel’s ground raids in southern Lebanon, frequent airstrikes have destroyed civilian infrastructure, contributing to an increase in the death rate and the displacement of people from their homes. Aid organizations fear that the situation in Lebanon will soon resemble that of Gaza if a decision to end the war is not reached.
The United Nations (UN) has urged the Israeli military to consider a ceasefire while the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is stationed at the country’s borders recording security breaches and trying to maintain peace. On October 16, UNIFIL reported a series of airstrikes in and around the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.
According to the Ministry of Health in Lebanon, these attacks caused injuries to fifteen people, including the mayor of the city, Ahmad Kahil, and members of the Disaster Management Unit. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack, accusing the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of deliberately targeting the council meeting. The UN’s special envoy for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, called Wednesday’s attack “a violation of the international humanitarian war”.
Before the escalation of the conflict that has been observed in Lebanon for the past two weeks, an IDF spokesman told reporters that the attack was intended to target only Hezbollah fighters. However, recent airstrikes have been increasingly indiscriminate, targeting densely populated areas.
“We know that Hezbollah often uses public spaces”, said Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, Danny Danon.
Internal migration has increased in Lebanon since the outbreak of war. UNICEF Deputy Director General Ted Chaiban told reporters on Wednesday that more than 1.2 million people have been displaced by the conflict, including more than 400,000 children. Shelters have been pushed to their limits, and more than 85 percent of all shelters are at a high level. Thousands of people flee to the streets or public places.
The escalation of hostilities has had a major impact on Lebanon’s health system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 23 incidents of attacks on health facilities were reported last month, as 100 hospitals were closed in areas affected by the unrest.
“The attack on health care reduces health systems and prevents their ability to continue to function. It also prevents entire communities from receiving health services when they need them most,” said Dr. Hanan Balky, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The collective mental health of Lebanese citizens in the most affected areas has declined significantly. Chaiban noted that this was especially difficult for children. “The mood is too big, especially among the youth. Now children are facing nightmares of being bombed, losing loved ones, and homes and schools being destroyed,” he said.
Additionally, there has been an influx of injured civilians, resulting in a greater need for medicine, surgical supplies, and psychological support. WHO and the Lebanese Red Cross are partnering with the Lebanese Ministry of Health to provide local hospitals with adequate supplies and to establish trauma centers.
The International Committee of the Red Cross sent a team of 22 medical staff with experience in managing traumatic injuries to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut.
“Although our surgical and medical team will help reduce the burden on health providers, continuous and safe assistance is urgently needed. The humanitarian crisis is deepening by the hour,” said Simone Casabianca-Aeschlimann, head of the ICRC team in Lebanon.
Aid agencies fear that living conditions will worsen in the coming winter months. The UN and its agencies such as WHO, UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP) have been mobilized to scale up response efforts as the situation continues to change. There have been calls for flexible funding for humanitarian efforts, such as UNICEF’s plea for USD 105 million over the next three months which is currently only eight percent funded. The UN is appealing for donor contributions as the conflict shows no signs of abating in the near future.
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