Beirut: At least 90,530 newly displaced people have been reported in Lebanon, including nearly 40,000 in 283 shelters, the International Organisation for Migration said on Wednesday. Thousands of people fleeing heavy bombardment in southern Lebanon have sought refuge in makeshift shelters across Beirut, as Israeli airstrikes intensify across the border.
Volunteers at the Technical Institute of Bir Hassan worked tirelessly to accommodate the displaced, organizing aid supplies, including food, water, and medicine. “At first the numbers were few, up to five o’clock we had thirty families,” said the Amal Movement’s media and emergency security officer, Rami Najem.
But the numbers quickly escalated with over 6,000 people seeking shelter in various areas, added Najem. Among the displaced is Rima Ali Chahine, who described their journey under bombardment. "Yesterday we lived through war...Israel targeted streets, people, civilians, and destroyed buildings," the 50-year-old woman said, her granddaughter Matilda sleeping on a mattress nearby.
For many, the situation is reminiscent of the 2006 war. “Nobody feels good when they have to leave their home amid instability...We are all civilians, and many people martyred while sitting in their homes - women, children, elderly and babies,” said 75-year-old Helme Mahmoud.
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group have been trading fire across the border since the war in Gaza began last year with an attack by Hezbollah's ally Hamas, but Israel has rapidly intensified its military campaign over the past week.
Lebanese authorities said 558 people had been killed, including 50 children and 94 women, in Israel's airstrikes on Monday (September 23). A further 1,835 were wounded, they said, and tens of thousands more have fled for safety.
'ATMOSPHERE OF WAR'
In the same shelter, 63-year-old Souad Mahde was registering her name after fleeing her own southern Lebanese village of Qsaibah. "The day before yesterday strikes started getting closer and planes were in the sky. We were scared," she said. As the strikes started to creep closer into the village from the fields outside, Qsaibah's residents fled.
"The first thing I thought of was to take some clothes so I could change if we got somewhere. Just the basics, and medicine of course. Nothing more than that. No one cares any more about things like the house because fear takes over," she said.
(With inputs from agency)
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