Ongoing hostilities and evacuation orders impact thousands in Lebanon

This article is published in association with United Nations.

People in Lebanon continue to be killed, injured and displaced by airstrikes, hostilities and displacement orders, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Thursday. 

Israel issued new displacement orders that day for several villages and Rashiedeh Palestinian refugee camp, located in the south of the country. 

This marked the first time the Israeli army has called for the evacuation of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, the UN agency said.

Thousands on the run

The Israeli army also issued evacuation orders to residents in the eastern city of Baalbeck for the second time in two days.

OCHA said the displacement orders on Wednesday and airstrikes in Baalbek and surrounding areas forced thousands to flee, with displacement continuing into Thursday. 

Many of those affected spent the night in their vehicles, facing harsh conditions as they search for safety.

Intense clashes reported

In New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric updated journalists on the activities of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose peacekeepers remain at their positions and continue to monitor and report on the situation on the ground.

UNIFIL said intense clashes between Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were reported in the Khiam area on Thursday.

The IDF have continued to strike areas across Lebanon, including in the south, Baalbek and near the capital, Beirut, with multiple casualties reported, while Hezbollah rocket fire reportedly killed five near Metula in northern Israel.

Respect the UN

UNIFIL peacekeepers patrol the “Blue Line” between Lebanon and Israel and on Wednesday one of the Mission’s positions located nearby sustained minor damage to its barracks and a vehicle due to an explosion in the area. 

“We once again remind all involved in this conflict of the inviolability of UN premises, and those premises must be respected, as well as our peacekeepers, both uniformed and civilians,” said Mr. Dujarric.

The intensifying hostilities are extremely concerning, he added, calling for an immediate end to the violence.

He said UNIFIL also remains focused on helping local communities. This week, peacekeepers delivered essential humanitarian aid, including medicines and medical devices, to the Municipality of Tyre “amid a challenging situation in south Lebanon.”

‘Devastating tally’ on children

Meanwhile, the head of UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, warned about the devastating physical and emotional impacts of the conflict on boys and girls.

“According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, 166 children have been killed since October 2023, while at least 1,168 have been injured. This devastating tally grows by the day,” she said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Furthermore, since 4 October of this year, at least one child has been killed and 10 injured daily. Thousands more who have survived months of constant bombings are now acutely distressed by the violence and chaos surrounding them.

Alarming signs of distress

Ms. Russell reported that children across Lebanon are displaying alarming signs of emotional, behavioural, and physical distress.

“UNICEF teams have met children who are gripped by overwhelming fear and increased anxiety, including separation anxiety, fear of loss, withdrawal, aggression, and difficulty concentrating,” she said.

“Many have disrupted sleep, haunted by nightmares, headaches, and loss of appetite. Deprived of the safety, stability, and support that school provides, many of these children are left without the spaces they need to play, learn, and heal.”

While UNICEF is on the ground providing emergency psychological support to thousands of children and caregivers, she stressed that “the true healing can only begin when the violence ends.” 

Concern for pregnant women 

UN aid teams operating in Lebanon also highlighted the major challenges facing thousands of women preparing to give birth in war-torn areas and called for increased international assistance.

The UN sexual and reproduction services agency, UNFPA, said more than 11,600 pregnant women have been impacted by the escalated bombardment.

Many who have been displaced and living in shelters for weeks and months have exhausted their savings and are unable to seek vital medical assistance, the agency’s Pamela di Camillo told UN News in Geneva.

She said some women have been on the move for a year and have lost contact with their gynaecologists.

“They don’t have the files with their pregnancy information with them, so they fear not only for their houses that they left behind in their villages, but also they fear for the baby they have in their bellies, and they also experience spotting, early contraction, because of the trauma and the situation,” she added.

Support and dignity

Ms. di Camillo noted that UNFPA has working with the Lebanese health authorities to identify and help all pregnant women by increasing the number of midwives that receive UN support and distributing dignity kits to women in shelters.

“The response needs to be scaled up everywhere,” she said, warning that the situation remains dangerous for humanitarian workers who struggle to reach all vulnerable women.

UNFPA recently reported that some 1,300 pregnant women are expected to give birth in November, even as roughly one quarter of all infrastructure has been destroyed in Lebanon, where the already stretched health system has been pushed to the brink.