Nearly half a million people have fled southern Lebanon and the western region of Baalbek since the Israeli military began dropping bombs there on September 23, according to Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib. We spoke to people on the ground who are mobilising to help displaced families.
More than 700 people, including women and children, have died and more than 1,800 have been wounded since Israel began strikes on Lebanon on Monday, according to Lebanese authorities.
These deadly attacks have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
‘My windows exploded’
The number of displaced people has skyrocketed this week. Before the Israeli strikes began, the number was thought to be around 110,000. In the past few days, it soared past 500,000, according to the Lebanese minister of foreign affairs.
Our team spoke with Rami Ghandour, who fled from his village in southern Lebanon to the nearby town of Sidon.
I’m from the village of Al-Ghazieh, not far from Sidon. The Israeli army bombed my village eight times. Finally, my family and I were forced to leave our home on September 23 after the explosions shattered our windows.
We found refuge at our friend’s house, who lives on the outskirts of the city of Sidon. I can’t rent a house. I don’t even have the money to pay for petrol. Bank withdrawals are capped at 300 dollars [267 euros] a month and I would need to go all the way to Beirut to even make a request [Editor’s note: Lebanese banks have placed restrictions on their customers ever since an economic crisis began in Lebanon in 2019.]
Most of my neighbours from the village have had to seek shelter at mosques, schools or churches.
I fled with my sister, my mother and my father. My parents are really elderly and suffer from chronic illnesses, but I don’t even have the money to buy their medication.
Residents open their homes to strangers
A number of schools in Beirut, Sidon, Zahlé, Sor, Baalbek and Tripoli have been turned into shelters for displaced people. Many churches and mosques have also opened their doors to the displaced.
Many individuals have taken it upon themselves to offer to shelter displaced people or give them a deal on rent. Some organisations have started distributing food to the displaced and setting up kitchens.
One operation called “One Roof” puts displaced people in touch with those who have room to spare. So far, they’ve received 300 requests for housing assistance through their website.
‘We’ve already helped more than 50 families’
Our Observer, Amin Timani is a coordinator with “Open Roof” in Aley, located about 15 kilometres southeast of Beirut. He is participating in a special initiative to find shelter for people displaced by the Israeli bombing.
We’ve already helped more than 50 families. For the time being, we offer them shelter at our homes or the homes of friends or other people who have volunteered their space and, then, we help them to find an affordable place to rent.
I have a house with three rooms, a kitchen, a dining room, three bathrooms and a garden. I lent it to a big family of 10 people, including four children. We are trying to help them however we can.
We have about 30 people who are working on the online forms. Those who need housing fill out a short online questionnaire, where they say what village they are from, how many people are in their group and if their group includes children or elderly people. These are all the details we need to know which apartment to give to which family.
Here in Lebanon, there is a lot of solidarity with NGOs, the scouts and different organisations. I am part of a group of scouts so I asked them for help. People gave everything they could to help these people, including clothing, medicine, toys and food. We try to collect everything we can to give to those in need.
There is also a group that is going to all of the restaurants in the area and asking if they can give 10 or 20 sandwiches, really anything they can. Then, we go hand them out in schools or to people in need.
People have also been mobilising in other regions across Lebanon like in the northern city of Tripoli, the country’s second-largest city.
The videos below show people handing out water and snacks to the displaced people who arrived the night of September 23.
The welcome that Tripoli residents have extended to the displaced has added significance. The northern city is majority Sunni while the displaced are coming from a majority Shiite region. The locals’ willingness to extend a hand across the religious divide has been taken as a sign of solidarity across Lebanon.
Displaced people flock to Syria
You know it is bad when people start seeking shelter in Syria, a country which has been locked in civil war since 2011. And yet, as a result of the Israeli bombing campaign, many Lebanese families have been seeking refuge there.
Videos posted on social media show residents of southern Lebanon rushing to the Al Masnaa border crossing in the Békaa region. According to a Syrian security official on Tuesday, September 24, around 500 Lebanese people have fled to Syria.
He added that, since Tuesday, “vehicles continue to stream in well into the early hours of the morning (...) heading to Homs and other neighbouring towns.”
