Islamic Relief Canada strongly condemns today’s deadly attacks on civilians in Lebanon and calls on world leaders to take urgent action to stop further escalation.
Today’s Israeli bombing has caused by far the deadliest day in Lebanon since the crisis began almost a year ago. The death toll is rising rapidly but so far more than 180 people are reported killed and over 700 wounded, including children and many other civilians. Hundreds of Israeli airstrikes have torn through residential areas and families are fleeing the south of the country in terror.
The Israeli military’s announcement for civilians in parts of Beirut and southern Lebanon to leave their homes is a horrifying echo of the orders we have seen issued repeatedly in Gaza before large-scale attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure there. Ordering people to leave their homes does not absolve Israel of its obligation under international law to protect civilians, including people who cannot leave or choose not to leave.
Akram Sadeq Ali, Islamic Relief’s Country Director in Lebanon, says: “There is mass panic, families here are terrified and they don’t know what to do or where to go. Civilians and civilian infrastructure such as homes, hospitals and schools must never be a target and must be protected at all times. Young children are among those killed by the bombs, and any further escalation will be absolutely disastrous for civilians.”
This latest escalation is likely to force many more families from their homes. More than 116,000 people in Lebanon have already been displaced over the past year and many are now in desperate need of aid. At least 24,000 residential buildings have been badly damaged or completely destroyed.
The escalation comes as much of the population in Lebanon struggles to cope with the fallout from a years-long economic crisis, which has forced many families into poverty.
Since tensions escalated in the region last October, Islamic Relief has helped almost 30,000 people affected by the crisis with food parcels, hygiene kits, blankets and mattresses, and has provided thousands of items of medical supplies for hospitals and primary healthcare clinics. The charity is supporting displaced families and local host communities in Nabatieh, Tyre, Bekaa and Balbek, where most of the recently displaced people have been seeking refuge.
Islamic Relief has been working in Lebanon since 2006, supporting communities through war, displacement and the current crises.