UN: 1.4 Million Lebanese Need Urgent Humanitarian Assistance

© UNHCR/Dar Al Mussawir/Ramzi Haidar Refugees gather near the Qasmiyyeh bridge in southern Lebanon

JAKARTA - United Nations (UN) humanitarian officials said 1.4 million people in Lebanon are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, as the country's food security situation continues to deteriorate rapidly.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, said the UN and the Lebanese Government had launched a new funding appeal to continue to raise funds for life-saving relief operations.

This was conveyed by Riza in a press conference held by the UN in Geneva via video link on Friday (5/6), coinciding with the update and extension of the Flash Appeal (Emergency Appeal) for Lebanon.

He added that the escalation of hostilities for more than three months had led to severe violence and acute suffering throughout Lebanon.

"The community is facing very heavy impacts, including repeated large-scale displacement, the destruction of houses and basic service infrastructure, and deep psychological trauma," said Rizadilansir ANTARA from WAFA, Saturday, June 6.

He noted that more than 3,500 people have been killed and more than 10,000 others injured, while nearly a million people are still displaced from their homes.

He explained that health workers and emergency responders face a risk of death and injury on a horrific scale. Meanwhile, entire residential areas have been turned into rubble, and many families have lost their homes and their livelihoods.

Riza said that during visits to a number of communities in recent weeks, he witnessed extensive damage to infrastructure and essential services.

The damage includes hospitals and clinics that were hit by airstrikes, government buildings that were destroyed, farmland that was burned, water stations that were damaged, and schools that were converted into refugee shelters.

He emphasized that psychological trauma due to conflicts greatly affects people's daily lives.

"Psychological trauma due to the conflict has penetrated deep into the joints of daily life, leaving emotional wounds that will last longer than the sound of gunfire and bomb explosions," he said.

The UN official said donors had provided around 190 million US dollars (around Rp3.42 trillion), which allowed the government and humanitarian partners to respond quickly and provide assistance to more than 680,000 people during the first phase of the Flash Appeal.