Day 17…
Heavy fighting is still taking place mainly in the south, while air raids are targeting every single village in this burning area plus targets in Bekaa. The death toll given by the ministry of health reached 600 one third of them are children while an estimated number of 88-100 bodies are still under the debris of destroyed houses that cannot be reached. The influx of people trying to reach safe areas is still flowing, and the UNIFIL was able yesterday to evacuate 250 people mainly women and children. The Christian villages in the south are receiving many families and the number of inhabitants there tripled while the remaining food supplies diminished a lot. Drinking water is a major problem and people started drinking from a polluted pool used by the farmers to wash their tobacco crop. It is still very difficult for the convoys carrying supplies to reach out those stranded people. However, although the Israelis claim that they are giving the people definite periods to evacuate their villages, they keep bombarding the roads leading to safety.
600 schools are being used to accommodate the displaced in addition to a substantial number living with relatives or friends.
Although two planes landed yesterday in Beirut airport carrying medical supplies from Egypt and Jordan, the air post still shut down. As for the safe corridors that are supposed to be used to carry humanitarian aid it is still a mirage as the director of Medcins San Frontier of Belgium said. WHO spokeswoman in Geneva said "There are a lot of people living in confined areas that can lead to diseases".
The Palestinian camps are hosting a number of 2000 families including an estimated number of 8-10 thousand people only in the Southern camps. The major number being in Ein el-Helweh camp in Saida,, while in the North Naher el-Bared and Beddawi camps received 520 families and as I'm writing this report another 30 families arrived in Beddawi. The Palestinian refugees are sharing their rooms, schools, mosques and supplies with the Lebanese families; this is leading to shortage of mattresses, water and medical supplies. "We were already sharing among ourselves half a potato, and then when the new refugees came in we had to cut it again, we barely have any potato left, people with nothing are helping people with nothing, that is the irony of the war…" said a man from Al-Buss camp "We are now one nation united in our pain and plight," said another.
Some families from Beirut camps are also leaving towards the North although Beirut camps were not hit during the fight, but people who had previous tragic experiences are in a state of panic.
As far as our staff is concerned, working with other NGOs, they are still working in small groups filling special applications with certain information about each family that will facilitate the distribution of needed supplies. A group of youth stated campaigns to clean the garbage that accumulated inside the camps, other groups are making ready the shelters inside the camps in case of any emergency. The shelters need to cleaned and supplied with ventilation, water, lights and necessary fire extinguisher equipment. First aid training was given to a number of youth to enable them to face any potential attacks against the camps.
With the fire of war still blazing, it is anticipated that the fighting will take longer time to stop; new wounds are being opened in the body of tired country before the old ones are healed. Who said that war can carry any logic???
Only your solidarity our friends is the only logic left among this insanity.
