Caritas Spain has decided to mobilize 150.000 euros in response to the crisis of displaced people in Lebanon following the escalation of hostilities in that territory and Israeli evacuation orders directed at various locations in the country.
Following the coordinated military attacks by the United States and Israel against Iranian territory, which began on February 28, the escalation of hostilities has worsened the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, affecting 14,1 million people, according to the UN.
Evacuation orders for residents of some 50 villages in the east and south of the country, as well as in various neighborhoods of the capital Beirut, have caused the forced and urgent displacement of some 700.000 people to areas considered safer, according to records from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Military operations in this country have caused at least 486 deaths and more than 1.313 injuries among the civilian population.
“We are facing a mass displacement. According to our teams on the ground, the available shelters cannot accommodate the number of displaced people, and the streets are filled with people fleeing the affected areas due to the magnitude, intensity, and geographical extent of the current escalation. Everything indicates that the hostilities will continue, as will the dramatic displacement of people,” explains Roser Gil, Humanitarian Action Coordinator in the International Cooperation area of Caritas Spain.
Forecasts indicate that the number of internally displaced people could exceed one million. To date, Lebanese authorities have activated 567 shelters across the country to accommodate the population arriving in the central and northern regions; currently, only 55 have available spaces.
The humanitarian impact of this crisis is especially profound. “The resulting fear, trauma, and uncertainty are having a deep impact on families, not only physically but also psychologically. Entire communities are severely affected by a situation that adds to years of violence and economic hardship,” the organization states.
With the mobilization of these funds, Caritas Spain aims to support the work being carried out by the Caritas Lebanon team in response to the humanitarian crisis. Key areas of intervention include activating emergency teams throughout the country, expanding soup kitchens and distribution points for prepared food, supplying non-food items for shelters (mattresses, blankets, and pillows), and strengthening primary healthcare services through health centers and mobile clinics.
Caritas Spain has been collaborating with Caritas Lebanon for almost 15 years on medical assistance programs for vulnerable families and communities in the south of the country, with special attention to refugee families from Syria, as well as on emergency response programs.
In response to the escalating conflict, the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon called on March 5 for “the immediate cessation of the spiral of violence and a return to constructive dialogue and responsible diplomatic action, based on the pursuit of the common good of peoples who yearn for a peaceful life founded on justice and dignity.”
They also urged the international community to "do everything possible to prevent further escalation and establish just solutions that safeguard the rights of peoples and protect human dignity."
Caritas Spain joins this appeal, expressing its solidarity and support for Caritas Lebanon and all the Caritas organizations in the Middle East that are being affected by this regional crisis.
