More than 800,000 people have been displaced across Lebanon following Israeli evacuation orders and escalating hostilities, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said, warning that the crisis is rapidly worsening.
Amy Pope, director general of the IOM, said on Thursday she was “gravely alarmed” by reports that a strike hit displaced civilians sheltering in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens.
“Civilians and civilian objects must never be deliberately targeted; their places of shelter and related infrastructure must never be the target of military hostilities,” Pope said.
The UN migration agency estimates that nearly one million people have fled their homes amid widespread air strikes and evacuation warnings across the country.
About 125,000 displaced people are currently staying in government-run collective shelters, while many others are being hosted by relatives, friends, and local communities. Thousands more remain without adequate shelter, with some families forced to sleep on the streets.
Many of those arriving in Beirut fled with only the clothes they were wearing and are now living in tents or makeshift shelters that offer little protection from continued bombardment.
Pope warned that urgent humanitarian assistance is needed to prevent the situation from spiralling into a deeper crisis.
“International humanitarian law requires parties to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance to civilians in need. This must be respected now,” she said.
The escalation began on March 2 when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli military sites following repeated Israeli strikes on Lebanon and the killing of Iran’s then-supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a joint United States-Israel strike.
Israel responded with a broad military assault targeting areas across Lebanon, including air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as regions in the south and east. On March 3, Israeli forces also began a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon.
