Displaced Lebanese families forced to sleep on streets

DW (English)

Israel has continued to strike suspected Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The UN warned that the number of people displaced by the attacks has doubled, with many families forced to sleep on Beirut's streets.

Transcript

00:00Let's get more from Sabine Abiad. She is the Regional Campaigns Coordinator for the

00:05Humanitarian Organization Action Aid. She joins us from Beirut. Hello Sabine, can you

00:10give us a sense of the humanitarian situation in Beirut?

00:16Good morning, good morning from Beirut. The situation in Lebanon is really dire and alarming

00:23and the window to prevent a full-scale humanitarian crisis is closing very rapidly. The needs

00:31on the ground are growing. Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets have had terrifying effects

00:38on local civilians who have been forced to flee a place to another in search of safety.

00:46There are now few safe places in Lebanon. Attacks are covering an increasingly large area.

00:55There are more than 800 people killed, thousands injured and more than 200,000 people

01:08displaced and more than 50,000 people living in shelter. But authorities in Lebanon are saying

01:15that the true number is much higher. It's almost half a million people who are likely displaced.

01:23So as I'm telling you, there's a huge need for humanitarian assistance.

01:30The needs on the ground are growing rapidly. People are in a state of extreme stress and panic

01:40and also refuges are overcrowded because people are seeking shelter in some public schools.

01:50All schools in Lebanon were shut down, so people are seeking refuge in schools. And local and

01:58international organizations are trying to support tens and tens of thousands of people.

02:05And this is what we are doing with our local partners on the ground, trying to support the

02:10displaced people in different locations in Lebanon with the basic needs like, of course,

02:18the shelter. We are helping them with mattresses, with blankets, with food, because people flee

02:26their home from the south and also from Beirut at parts of Bekaa with nothing in hand.

02:31They came with nothing. So you're describing a very dire situation on the ground and you say

02:38action aid is doing all it can to provide basic needs, food and water and shelter to those in

02:45dire need. This is based on the current situation. So what's the plan if the situation continues to

02:51worsen? We will keep supporting people. We are working with our local partners on the ground.

03:01We are trying to support people in three different locations in Bekaa, in Beirut and in Tripoli in

03:08north of Lebanon. We will try to adapt as much as we can and to be able, with the assistance of

03:15our partners and donors, to be providing more and more support to people in need. Things are

03:22escalating rapidly in Lebanon. And as I said, the needs on the ground are growing rapidly.

03:29And also people are in distress. So also psychosocial support is needed for the

03:39displaced people. So also we will be providing this kind of service in one of our centers where we have

03:46a safe space in Bekaa. But also the staff and the partner staff are working also under pressure.

03:53Sometimes we have to hold our operations because of the situation and the intensity of the attacks

04:01that is continuing to rise. Right, right. Sabine Abiad, ActionAid Regional Campaigns Coordinator.

04:09Thank you very much. Thank you.

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