JAKARTA - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that Lebanon is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis after the most intense Israeli attack in the current conflict.
UNHCREujin Byun said the biggest and most devastating Israeli attack in the current conflict occurred on Wednesday (8/4), with about 100 locations hit in 10 minutes without warning, including densely populated areas in Beirut that have already housed thousands of displaced people.
Byun said even areas previously considered safe were hit, sparking panic and forcing people to flee for a second or third time.
Damage to vital infrastructure, including the Qasmiyeh Bridge, has also further restricted movement between the south and north.
"It is impossible to return because the entire community has been partially or completely destroyed," Byun said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, April 10.
UNHCR also noted that around 150,000 people are still in southern Lebanon with limited humanitarian access. Byun added that humanitarian assistance to them was "very important" and they needed safe passage to flee if they were forced to flee again.
"Humanitarian needs are increasing sharply. Access to affected people is increasingly limited," he said.
Byun stressed that all civilians in Lebanon must be protected from such attacks, highlighting that around 1 million people have been displaced, 35 percent of whom are children.
UNHCR has so far provided assistance to more than 151,000 refugees in shelters and 31,000 people in hard-to-reach areas. UNHCR has also helped more than 250,000 people who have crossed into Syria.
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