Lebanon struggles to cope as over a million people flee Israel’s military invasion – Oxfam
Oxfam Australia Media Release
The Lebanese authorities, communities and humanitarian agencies are struggling to shelter and provide the necessities of life to over one million people fleeing Israel’s airstrikes and invasion to the south, Oxfam said today.
Oxfam is working with local partners in Lebanon and alongside other aid agencies as part of the government’s humanitarian response plan following Israel’s invasion of Southern Lebanon and aerial bombardment.
Oxfam assessments in shelters across Lebanon have found people most need mattresses, bedding, and cooking and sanitation items. Women also need sanitary pads, towels, and underwear. Oxfam and partners have started distributing some of this aid as well as water.
Gheith Bittar, Executive Director for Oxfam partner SHIFT – Social Innovation Hub, said more displaced people are arriving by the day and he fears shelters may buckle under the strain.
“The shelters are not ready to host the number of IDPs we are taking on and 629 are already full. They are public schools that are not equipped to be shelters and we are facing problems. For example, we don’t have hot water for showers. We will get to a point where we won’t be able to cope. Without funds, we cannot sustain our support to the shelters. The ground invasion will only increase the number of IDPs, and we have already seen an increase in the number of displaced people on a daily basis with the continuous bombardment. The situation will only get worse as winter approaches.
“People are coming to us traumatised. Most of them have lost their houses and relatives. Some of them were scared because of the scale of bombardment as they were fleeing, and many others because of their fear of the unknown coming to a new city. People are suffering, they have many, many, issues to think about.”
Oxfam says without a ceasefire the greenlight by Israel to a ground invasion in southern Lebanon will likely lead to a further escalation of the conflict and fighting, that will cause even more destruction of communities and inflame an already volatile region.
“The ground invasion and bombardment that includes Beirut and the southern suburbs will create a serious challenge for the humanitarian system in a few short days. People are being forced to flee with little to no notice, and often having to leave everything behind to shelters that are inadequate or sharing crowded homes with few essential supplies. None know when they can return. Without a ceasefire the number of people desperately in need will only grow, as will their needs. The shelter system is set to collapse if there is no peace on the horizon,” said Oxfam’s Lebanon Country Director, Bachir Ayoub.
“The needs of people in Lebanon who’ve been injured, traumatised and displaced, in fear of what the future might hold for them, are already huge. No other solution other than a ceasefire can alleviate the crisis they are facing,” Ayoub said.
There must be an end to this violence. All parties must stop fighting. We need safe space to get people the aid they need,” he said.
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13 comments
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Denis Hay
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Phil Pryor
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paul walter
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Clakka
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GL
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Phil Pryor
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Michael Taylor
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paul walter
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Terence Mills
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Shubham Shukla
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paul walter
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Ted
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Bert
Return to home pageIt is disgusting what Isral is doing to innocent people.
Zionism was initiated to grab a slab of Palestine, a concept over a century old. When the British obtained a mandate over this area, in 1919, Palestinians were entitled to be consulted, developed, eventually freed and established as a nation. But, up to May, 1948 , the Palestinians, betrayed, dismayed, ignored, suffered setbacks, and, by relentless murder, theft, aggression, pressures, indifference by those keen to get rid of an ancient jewish “problem”, were to be rendered refugees from their land. Oct. 7 is merely a day of frustrated fightback by those Palestinians who have been attacked and belittled daily for over seventy years, by fanatically superstitious Israelis. USA and other’s money and weapons have armed the Israelis, who have technological superiority. I am one of many who would wish that nobody suffers from right now, evermore. Only negotiated peace and secure borders for ALL can do that. It seems hopeless. As for Dutton and his monumental bullying ignorance, may evaporate like a hurricane driven fart…
Some of it seems to revolve around Netanyahu’s bellowings about the “Eretz (ersatz) Israel taking over half the middle east based on their own theological nonsenses, which are thin cover for the oil and gas (the US goal)
Yes, Denis, Phil and Paul,
And of course there’s the matter of Iran – a sophisticated region whilst the ‘West’ was still eating grass, and the incessant meddling of the acquisitive bible-thumping Western Europe, Britain and the USA.
The devious thieving and expansionist plots by the ‘West’, since at least the 1950s saw multiple blunderings (still going on today) rendering division and confusion in Iran’s populace, and via the 1979 revolution (which terrified Iraq) and the emplacement of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (with his declared hatred of Israel) as supreme leader and a country run by mullahs, as it is today under the 2nd supreme leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Since then an horrendous state of oppression of divergent religious minorities, and the substantial modern populace and intelligentsia.
So then from the devious plots of the ‘West’, particularly the abject transparent mess it left in Iraq, a rabbit may be able to be pulled from the hat, an auspice, whereby the Anglo-American’s suzerain, Israel, may be set loose against Iran and its modern (post revolution) proxies.
That BeBe and his mob, and the USA don’t know what they’re doing, to me is absolute BS, just like their stage show. And I struggle to see that the ‘civilian’ obliteration is incidental. To me it’s typical of the way supremacists operate – now by shadow-plays.
Of course he does, Labor came up with the plan and it doesn’t fit in with his Mad Monk thug style mindset. Apart from that he’s just a complete and utter mindless scumbag!
@12.30PM.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2024/oct/08/australia-politics-live-anthony-albanese-peter-dutton-protext-palestine-gaza-israel-question-time-parliament-cost-of-living
I see someone pulled the raving rant string in Annabelle Ley’s back as well.
@13.28PM.
Same article from above.
Tues., 2.00 p m, and Dogshit Dutton, the Adolf of adolescent asinine anal sprays, is raving about the government attitude to peace if possible in the Palestine area. Zionist murder and occupation must stop, and that would surely prevent nasty desperate retaliations as happened a year ago. All crime can be investigated, theoretically, and all criminals punished, and so, if Netanupyouandme is first to be convicted of premeditated violent superstition driven supremacist crime, GOOD. Dutton is phenomenally ignorant of truth.
It’s fair to say that none of our senior politicians are reading the room on the Palestine situation.
Michael Taylor,
“none so blind as those who will not see”.
Also,
‘tinnitus”, of the “tin ear” variety.
It shows just how fractured our Parlaiment is when a motion of condolence over the 7 October massacre and ongoing slaughter in Gaza and Lebanon could not get support from Peter Dutton and his gang of intransigents. Even so the even handed Motion was passed without the support of the coalition or the Greens, 85 to 54.
This is the fifteen part Motion which I encourage those with an interest in these matters to read https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Chamber_documents/Live_Minutes
Evidently Dutton’s strategy was first and foremost not to vote for anything put up by Labor, even a Motion of condolence. He chose to strenuously and theatrically object to items (11) and (12) of the Motion :
(11)stresses the need to break the cycle of violence and supports international efforts to de-escalate, for a ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon, and for lasting peace and security for Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese and all people in the region;
(12)affirms its support for a two-state solution, a Palestinian state alongside Israel, so that Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders, as the only option to ensure a just and enduring peace;
It seems that Dutton’s view is that there should not be a ceasefire or de-escalation and certainly no moves towards a two-state solution or an enduring peace.
To Dutton, this is demonstrating his strength of leadership.
Thank you for bringing attention to this critical situation. It’s heartbreaking to see so many people displaced
Dutton? No sign of life there, for years and years.
AJ Ogrady (elsewhere), seconded. Our betters didn’t graft and work away, just so middle-class tits could just remove the hard-won freedoms they fought and died for last century, for a bribe…
The Hannibal Directive, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal_Directive – sanctions the IDF to kill any Israeli military persons likely to be taken captive. I don’t see how this genocide against Palestinians can ever end. If Israeli military or citizen hostages in Gaza are now dead, torn to pieces by IDF bombs, many of those ‘hostages’ will never be found let alone be returned.
This ‘war’ is therefore a forever war if Israel clings to every person be returned of we continue to genocide attitude.
I saw a report on the news last evening about the poor Israelis who have had to leave their (illegally built) homes near the Lebanon border and are housed in hotels in Tel Aviv. Complaining about how hard life is, living in such cramped quarters.
I really feel for them, perhaps a tent on the beach would suit them better, no room service, no queen sized bed, no television, and an open air environment to really feel the on coming joys of winter.