Geneva, Sep 27 (EFE).- The United Nations said on Friday that nearly 120,000 people have been displaced in the past five days due to intense Israeli airstrikes targeting southern and eastern Lebanon since Monday.
The surge in displacement brings the total number of internally displaced people in Lebanon to over 200,000 since cross-border hostilities with Israel began in October last year, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, said during a video conference from Beirut.
“Up to this past Monday, we had about 110,000 displaced (people). From Monday onward, in the last five days, we had 118,000 displaced that we have recorded. It has doubled the figure now, it is over 200,000 (people) that we have displaced,” he said.
Around 500 shelters have been established to accommodate around 80,000 displaced people, with at least 300 of those shelters set up in public schools, Riza added.
He said that the UN and its partners are working closely with the Lebanese government to coordinate relief efforts in the wake of intensified Israeli airstrikes.
Israel has intensified airstrikes against the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah since Monday, conducting heavy bombings in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Riza said that the airstrikes have caused «widespread destruction» to homes and infrastructure throughout the country.
He reported that at least 700 people have been killed and thousands more injured over the past five days.
“The situation (…) is catastrophic. We are witnessing the deadliest period in Lebanon in a generation. Many express their fear that this is just the beginning,” he added.
Given the rising number of injured, Riza emphasized the urgent need for medical assistance, as hospitals are overwhelmed and medical supplies are nearly exhausted.
“Lebanon’s health system is already overwhelmed. With the recent escalations and hospitals reaching capacity, the system is struggling with limited resources to meet the growing demands,” he said. EFE
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