Lebanon records 109,000 displaced people, but says real figure is likely much higher

 

Cars sit in traffic as they flee southern Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Monday, September 23, 2024. 

Mohammed Zaatari/AP

Lebanon has recorded nearly 109,000 people displaced by the recent conflict, but authorities said the actual number is likely much higher.

The official figure reported by the country’s disaster risk management unit Thursday includes at least 31,730 Lebanese and Syrians who have already fled across the border into Syria.

In a statement, the agency said many displaced people not represented in the official figure had moved to their homes in other areas, to stay with relatives, or to rented rooms or hotels.

Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad on Thursday told CNN he estimates there are likely 400,000 to 500,000 internally displaced people. Abiad said authorities know how many people have been internally displaced to official shelters but “multitudes” more were being provided shelter by relatives, friends or strangers.

Humanitarian needs are growing as the conflict between Israel and Lebanon escalates, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned in a statement.

“Many are traumatized from losing homes and loved ones, including MSF’s own staff,” the statement said. “In addition to medical support, people are in need of basic supplies like mattresses and hygiene products as the shelters and schools currently housing them were not prepared to accommodate so many people.”

Maram Sukkariyeh, a health promotion supervisor with MSF, described days of strikes in northern areas of Lebanon’s Beqaa region.

“On Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. we woke up to powerful strikes on mountains and valleys, shelling villages from Baalbek to Hermel,” Sukkariyeh said. “All we could hear was the sound of ambulance sirens. We saw smoke with each strike, and the bombs were hitting very close to houses.”

Sukkariyeh said people who fled their homes were “scared and worried.”

“No one knows where to seek safety. With every strike, people are losing their lives, including children,” Sukkariyeh said. “The future is unknown and deciding what to do is very difficult. Everyone seeks safety for their families and children.”