Relief agencies seek to re-engage in fragile Lebanon
-14/08/06
Civic and faith-based r
Relief agencies seek to re-engage in fragile Lebanon
-14/08/06
Civic and faith-based relief and development agencies are preparing to send convoys towards southern Lebanon, in the hope that the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will mean a rapid improvement in their ability to deal with the humanitarian crisis there.
But if aid agencies had been expecting a dramatic improvement in access to those who desperately need their help, they have been sorely disappointed, reports the BBC.
Frustrated by the heavy fighting and a ban on movement imposed by the Israeli army, aid workers have been unable to take essential food, water and medicine to an estimated 100,000 people trapped south of the Litani river.
And even as the ceasefire does take effect and they should be able to travel without fear of being targeted by Israeli air strikes, relief workers will still have to negotiate the many roads and bridges destroyed by missiles.
Meanwhile, the international agency CARE began distributing relief supplies in three Beirut suburbs today. The distribution centred around the villages of Mansourieh, Mkhallis and Beit Meri in the mountains just east of Beirut, where internally displaced Lebanese civilians have sought refuge from the fighting in southern Lebanon.
CARE provided aid to the families who are now temporarily living in makeshift shelters, including a large, windowless room under a public parking garage. The room, about 2500 square feet, with only one toilet and no natural light, houses more than 100 people.
Another building visited by CARE is an abandoned chocolate factory which now houses more than 100 people. Its windows have no glass. A few electric fans provide slight relief from the stifling heat. The building has only one bathroom for more than a hundred people.
Many of the people living in the shelters visited by CARE show signs of intense anxiety. The psychological impact of the massive destruction resulting from the conflict is affecting adults as well as children.
“What we are seeing here is only the tip of the iceberg,” says CARE’s emergency assessment team leader, Megan Chisholm. “We expect to see more casualties, bad living conditions and victims of this war as soon as we are able to access the whole of Lebanon.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) dispatched a number of patrols throughout its area of operation this morning, to assess the situation on the ground and to monitor the cessation of hostilities. There were no reports of incidents or breaches of the agreement in the UNIFIL area of operations until 13.00 hours today.
UNIFIL Force Commander, General Pellegrini, had met with the senior representatives of the Lebanese Army and the Israeli Army at noon, inside the UNIFIL position at the border crossing at Ras Naqoura, to discuss the implementation of and compliance with the agreement. They also discussed the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces in the South.
During the 24-hour period prior to the cessation of hostilities coming into effect, exchanges of fire continued with same intensity throughout the UNIFIL area of operation.
The Israeli Defence Forces intensified shelling and aerial bombardment across the south, especially in the general areas of Khiyam in the eastern sector, Tibnin in the central sector, and between Tyre and Naqoura along the Mediterranean cost. Hezbollah fired rockets in somewhat reduced numbers from various locations.
Relief agencies seek to re-engage in fragile Lebanon
-14/08/06
Civic and faith-based relief and development agencies are preparing to send convoys towards southern Lebanon, in the hope that the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will mean a rapid improvement in their ability to deal with the humanitarian crisis there.
But if aid agencies had been expecting a dramatic improvement in access to those who desperately need their help, they have been sorely disappointed, reports the BBC.
Frustrated by the heavy fighting and a ban on movement imposed by the Israeli army, aid workers have been unable to take essential food, water and medicine to an estimated 100,000 people trapped south of the Litani river.
And even as the ceasefire does take effect and they should be able to travel without fear of being targeted by Israeli air strikes, relief workers will still have to negotiate the many roads and bridges destroyed by missiles.
Meanwhile, the international agency CARE began distributing relief supplies in three Beirut suburbs today. The distribution centred around the villages of Mansourieh, Mkhallis and Beit Meri in the mountains just east of Beirut, where internally displaced Lebanese civilians have sought refuge from the fighting in southern Lebanon.
CARE provided aid to the families who are now temporarily living in makeshift shelters, including a large, windowless room under a public parking garage. The room, about 2500 square feet, with only one toilet and no natural light, houses more than 100 people.
Another building visited by CARE is an abandoned chocolate factory which now houses more than 100 people. Its windows have no glass. A few electric fans provide slight relief from the stifling heat. The building has only one bathroom for more than a hundred people.
Many of the people living in the shelters visited by CARE show signs of intense anxiety. The psychological impact of the massive destruction resulting from the conflict is affecting adults as well as children.
“What we are seeing here is only the tip of the iceberg,” says CARE’s emergency assessment team leader, Megan Chisholm. “We expect to see more casualties, bad living conditions and victims of this war as soon as we are able to access the whole of Lebanon.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) dispatched a number of patrols throughout its area of operation this morning, to assess the situation on the ground and to monitor the cessation of hostilities. There were no reports of incidents or breaches of the agreement in the UNIFIL area of operations until 13.00 hours today.
UNIFIL Force Commander, General Pellegrini, had met with the senior representatives of the Lebanese Army and the Israeli Army at noon, inside the UNIFIL position at the border crossing at Ras Naqoura, to discuss the implementation of and compliance with the agreement. They also discussed the withdrawal of the Israeli army and the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces in the South.
During the 24-hour period prior to the cessation of hostilities coming into effect, exchanges of fire continued with same intensity throughout the UNIFIL area of operation.
The Israeli Defence Forces intensified shelling and aerial bombardment across the south, especially in the general areas of Khiyam in the eastern sector, Tibnin in the central sector, and between Tyre and Naqoura along the Mediterranean cost. Hezbollah fired rockets in somewhat reduced numbers from various locations.