UN releases US$10 million emergency humanitarian funds for Lebanon aid

United Nations, Sep 28: The acting UN relief chief allocated $10 million in emergency funding for the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, which the local UN coordinator described as catastrophic. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday said that the Israeli air strikes continued to affect civilians and civilian infrastructure on the fifth consecutive day of the large-scale military escalation.

The world body's humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, called the destruction nothing short of catastrophic, with the surge in violence extending to previously unaffected areas, causing widespread destruction, Xinhua news agency reported. "We are witnessing the deadliest period in Lebanon in a generation, and many express their fear that this is just the beginning," Riza said.

He said that in less than a week, at least 700 lives have been lost, thousands have been injured, and nearly 120,000 people have been displaced, with the numbers continuing to rise. Since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, 2023, more than 1,500 civilians have been killed, and over 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

"The United Nations and partners are closely coordinating with the Lebanese Government to support the response efforts," OCHA said. "We are delivering food, mattresses, hygiene kits, and emergency medical supplies." Riza said that critical funding gaps persist in the areas of shelter repair, food, fuel and coordination, among others. Humanitarian organisations are assessing the amount of funding required to address the increasing number of displaced people and the rising humanitarian needs.

UN Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya allocated $10 million from the world body's Central Emergency Response Fund. The office said the funds are in addition to the $10 million released from the Lebanon Humanitarian fund earlier in the week. In Gaza, OCHA warned that displaced people live in abysmal conditions, which could further deteriorate in the upcoming cold and rainy winter weather.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners recently conducted assessments September 19 and 22 in two collective shelters in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. "At both sites, displaced communities live in overcrowded shelters and lack cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, sanitary pads and diapers, as well as clothes and infant formula for babies," OCHA said.

The office said the first site was a school turned into a shelter by the UN relief agency known as UNRWA in the Al Bureij refugee camp in Deir al Balah. It was hosting more than 3,500 Gazans. "Our teams found people were crammed into classrooms and worn out tents, with an average of 80 to 100 people per classroom and 40 people per tent," OCHA said. "Access to clean water and health care is extremely limited. Most residents are eating only one meal per day, with some people going the entire day without eating."

The office said the second site was a make shift camp in Abasan in eastern Khan Younis, hosting 2,500 people, including nearly 1,000 school aged children. "The site is in a flood prone area, adjacent to a site where garbage is being dumped," OCHA said. "There are no medical facilities, and there is no food support at this site, except for occasional hot meals provided by a charity organisation." The office said humanitarian aid movements in Gaza face significant access constraints.

"Nearly 90 per cent of coordinated humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza so far in September have been either denied or impeded," OCHA said. In the West Bank, the office said the number of internal movement obstacles deployed by Israeli forces increased by more than 20 per cent since June 2023.

Since the October 7 attacks on Israel, OCHA said Israeli authorities in the West Bank also imposed movement restrictions, marked by the deployment or maintenance of hundreds of movement obstacles and a general closure that affects Palestinian permit-holders and bars them from accessing Jerusalem and Israel.

"The cumulative impact of movement obstacles has been devastating, further entrenching the fragmentation of the West Bank, disrupting access to livelihoods and services for thousands of Palestinians and aggravating the already difficult living conditions there," the office said. OCHA said that health facilities in the West Bank also suffered in the conflict.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that from October 7 to July 30, there were 527 attacks on health care in the region, including obstruction of access, use of force, detention and militarised searches. WHO said the attacks affected 54 health facilities, including 20 mobile clinics and 365 ambulances. "These incidents not only hinder access to health care but also jeopardise the safety of medical personnel and patients," OCHA said.