Airstrikes continue to kill civilians in Lebanon, intensifying displacement

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian agency said Monday that airstrikes in Lebanon continue to kill civilians and displace a growing number of families.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that hundreds of people were reportedly displaced Sunday night across the country following Israeli evacuation orders identifying a social finance network affiliated with Hezbollah, which were soon followed by airstrikes.

As a result of one of these airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut Sunday night, a UNFPA (UN Population Fund)-supported safe space for women and girls was destroyed, alongside a primary health-care center.

In Beirut, Bekaa and Mount Lebanon, 10 facilities supported by UNFPA, including primary health-care sites, safe spaces, and mobile maternity units, have closed due to insecurity.

Lebanese health authorities have reported more than 2,400 deaths and over 11,500 injuries since the hostilities began last October. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced or otherwise directly affected by the crisis.

OCHA said that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to provide support across Lebanon, including in harder to reach areas.

On Monday, a six-truck aid convoy, supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Program (WFP) and OCHA, brought humanitarian supplies to Jaboule town in Baalbek Governorate.

This was the first such delivery in Lebanon since September, the office said. The convoy brought enough food supplies to support 1,000 people for two months, along with ready-to-eat meals.

Additionally, UNICEF provided water bottles, mattresses, blankets and other items, including first aid and hygiene kits for three shelters in Jaboule town.

As of last weekend, nearly 1,100 collective shelters had opened in Lebanon, hosting some 192,000 displaced people. More than 900 of these shelters are already at full capacity, according to OCHA estimates.

The highest percentage of internally displaced people has been recorded in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Governorate.

The International Organization for Migration said that more than 800,000 people have been displaced inside Lebanon by escalating hostilities over the past year.

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency updated that according to authorities, more than 420,000 people have crossed into Syria, with nearly 17,000 people arriving in Iraq. ■