Displaced people in Lebanon cut off “long and difficult” displacement journeys due to the escalation

Mrs. Haniyeh said “The journey from the south to Beirut was tiring and difficult for everyone, including children, women and the elderly.”.

The Lebanese woman added while speaking to the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees while distributing relief bags to the displaced, “We spent 18 hours on the road because of the traffic. It was very tiring.”.

The Commission quoted the government in Lebanon as saying that more than 84,000 people are currently residing in about 400 collective shelter sites, and that more than 30,000 people – most of them Syrians and some Lebanese – have crossed the border into Syria since the start of the escalation.

Families left everything in search of safety

UNHCR representative Carolina Lindholm Billing said that within hours, thousands of people were displaced from their homes across southern Lebanon, the southern suburb of Beirut, and the Bekaa region, adding: “Families left their homes, all their possessions, and their sense of normalcy.”.

Billing confirmed that the Commission stands ready to increase support.

But she stressed that “Continued international solidarity and support for Lebanon is critical to ensuring that displaced families – both Lebanese and refugees alike – receive protection, assistance and dignity.”.

The Commission had expressed concern about the escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli border. She called for the protection of civilians, stressing that she is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the authorities and partners to respond.

As violence escalates across the Middle East, UNHCR urgently calls for dialogue and de-escalation.