The UN on Wednesday expressed deep alarm about surging displacement and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Lebanon as Israeli military attacks across the south reached record levels for the third consecutive day.
“We are deeply concerned by the ongoing hostilities, as people continue to be forced to leave their homes in search of safety,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.
Dujarric said an estimated 200,000 people were displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs following an evacuation order issued by Israel on June 1, with tens of thousands more fleeing violence across southern Lebanon in recent days.
“Nearly 135,000 people have registered in collective shelters, which are increasingly overcrowded, with thousands more staying on the streets and seaside, among other places,” he said, warning that the displacement was putting “severe pressure on already overstretched systems.”
Health care system under pressure
