More than a million displaced people in Lebanon, emergency shelters are bursting at the seams, children are traumatized. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees takes a look for himself on site.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, visited emergency camps for displaced people in the Lebanese capital Beirut and appealed to the global community to provide more money to support them.
“Today I saw the tragic consequences that this war has for entire communities,” the UN refugee agency UNHCR quoted its chief as saying. “Families are homeless. They’re stranded in the open with traumatized children who don’t understand what’s going on.”
According to government figures, there are now more than 1.2 million displaced people in the country. Since Israel stepped up its military operations against the Hezbollah militia two weeks ago, hundreds of thousands have been on the run.
Hour of greatest need
The hastily set up emergency shelters in schools and other buildings hardly have any space left to accommodate people. “In this hour of greatest need, the world must come to Lebanon’s aid,” Grandi said. On behalf of numerous UN organizations, the United Nations has published an appeal for donations worth 425.7 million dollars (almost 390 million euros) to help stranded people and refugees in Lebanon by the end of the year.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
