UN: 1.4 million Lebanese citizens in urgent need of humanitarian aid
Geneva (ANTARA) - United Nations humanitarian officials have stated that 1.4 million people in Lebanon are in dire need of humanitarian aid, as the country’s food security situation continues to deteriorate rapidly.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, stated that the UN and the Lebanese Government have launched a new funding appeal to continue raising funds for life-saving aid operations. This was announced by Riza during a press conference organised by the UN Office in Geneva via video link on Friday (5/6), coinciding with the update and extension of the humanitarian Flash Appeal for Lebanon.
He added that the escalation of hostilities over the past three months has led to severe violence and acute suffering throughout Lebanon. “The population is facing extremely heavy impacts, including large-scale repeated displacement, the destruction of homes and basic service infrastructure, and profound psychological trauma,” Riza continued.
He noted that more than 3,500 people have been killed and over 10,000 others injured, while nearly one million people remain displaced from their homes. He explained that healthcare workers and emergency responders face horrific risks of death and injury. Meanwhile, entire residential areas have been reduced to rubble, and many families have lost both their homes and their livelihoods.
Riza said that during visits to several communities in recent weeks, he witnessed extensive damage to essential infrastructure and services. This damage includes hospitals and clinics hit by airstrikes, destroyed government buildings, scorched agricultural land, damaged water stations, and schools repurposed as refugee shelters.
He emphasised that the psychological trauma resulting from the conflict is deeply affecting the daily lives of the population. “The psychological trauma from the conflict has permeated deep into the fabric of daily life, leaving emotional wounds that will last longer than the sound of gunfire and bomb explosions,” he said.
The UN official stated that donors have provided approximately 190 million USD (around IDR 3.42 trillion), enabling the government and humanitarian partners to respond quickly and provide aid to more than 680,000 people during the first phase of the humanitarian Flash Appeal.