A large number of people are coming on foot, including women and children with daily necessities. Many people had to spend the night without any shelter and there were several others injured in the recent bombings.
It’s another ordeal for families fleeing Syria’s civil war and now facing bombardment in a country they sought refuge in, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Filippo Grandi.
“The Middle East cannot afford a new displacement crisis,” he said. “We should not create another (crisis) that forces people to leave their homes.”
The appeal by the High Commissioner for Refugees was issued after Israel carried out a massive bombardment in Lebanon on Monday night.
The local health ministry says the attack killed 558 people, including women and children, and injured 1,835.
Earlier, last weekend, rocket attacks were launched into Israel in response to the explosion of pagers and walkie-talkie communication devices used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon.
Seeking safety
More than 27,000 people have been displaced in the last 48 hours and people are leaving their homes every minute, the UN refugee agency said.
According to UN estimates, more than 90 thousand people are newly displaced in Lebanon, while more than one hundred thousand people already face displacement in October 2023.
Together with other partner organizations, including the Syrian Red Crescent, the UN refugee agency is providing food, water, blankets, mattresses and other items to those in need at border crossings.
Lebanon is home to 1.5 million Syrian refugees who have crossed their country’s borders to escape the civil war.
UN agencies say at least $170 million in aid is needed to meet food, water, sanitation and other needs.
Outrage over death of UN staff
Meanwhile, the United Nations Refugee Agency has expressed deep grief over the death of two of its staff members in an attack in Lebanon.
Dina Darwish and her young son were killed on Monday when Israel fired a missile into the building where they lived in Lebanon. Their bodies were recovered on Tuesday. Her husband and other children were seriously injured in this attack.
Ali Basma had been working for the UN agency for the past seven years and his death was also confirmed on Monday.
The refugee agency reiterated that under international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians and humanitarian relief workers must be ensured and tensions and conflicts reduced.