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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