UNHCR warns Lebanon facing worsening humanitarian crisis after intense Israeli strikes
Lebanon is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis following the most intense Israeli strikes of the current conflict, the UN refugee agency warned Friday. Around 100 locations were hit within 10 minutes with no warnings, including densely populated Beirut neighborhoods, forcing people to flee for the second or third time.
The UN refugee agency warned Friday that Lebanon is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis following what it described as the most intense Israeli strikes in the current conflict. UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun told reporters in Geneva that "the largest and most devastating Israeli attacks of the current conflict (were) carried out on 8th of April, (and) around 100 locations were hit within 10 minutes with no warnings, including densely populated neighborhoods in Beirut, already sheltering thousands of displaced people."
Multiple displacements
She said areas once considered safe were hit, "triggering panic and forcing people to flee for the second or third time," while damage to key infrastructure, including the Qasmiyeh Bridge, has further restricted movement between the southern and northern regions. "Return is no longer possible, as the entire community have been partially or completely destroyed," Byun added.
Humanitarian access
Noting that about 150,000 people remain in southern Lebanon with limited humanitarian access, Byun said humanitarian access to them is "essential," and they need a safe route to flee if forced again. "Humanitarian needs are rising sharply. Access to affected people is increasingly constrained," she said.
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Displacement figures
Byun stressed that "all civilians in Lebanon need to be protected from those kinds of strikes," highlighting that around 1 million people are already displaced, 35% of them children. The UNHCR has so far supported more than 151,000 displaced people in shelters and 31,000 in hard-to-reach areas, while also assisting over 250,000 people who have crossed into Syria.
Conflict context
The intensified strikes came despite a two-week ceasefire announced by the US and Iran on Tuesday. While Pakistani mediators and Tehran said the ceasefire includes Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv denied that. Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed 1,888 people and wounded 6,092 others.
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