Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Commission has revealed that a further €30 million in humanitarian assistance will be sent to Lebanon as Israel’s confrontation with Hezbollah escalates.
The increase follows the additional €10 million delivered at the end of September, bringing this year’s total amount to more than €104 million. The aid package seeks to bolster humanitarian support in Lebanon via food, shelter, healthcare and other essential services.
“Our new funding will ensure civilians receive much-needed assistance during this very difficult time,” stated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “We continue to call for a ceasefire across the border with Lebanon and in Gaza, as well as for the release of all hostages.”
How has Israel’s offensive worsened Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis?
Israel’s air and ground drive has deepened the already dangerous humanitarian situation in Lebanon, displacing hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians and extinguishing more than 1,000, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Thousands are resting on beaches or the streets.
The World Health Organization stated over 30 primary healthcare centres around Lebanon’s impacted areas have been closed.
Medical staff are labouring to cope with the daily inflow of new patients and under government emergency plans, hospitals and medical workers have stopped non-urgent operations. “The humanitarian situation is catastrophic,” stated Hassan Dbouk, the head of the disaster management unit in the ancient Lebanese city of Tyre, where many have strived for refuge.
He stated that there were no pre-positioned supplies, such as food parcels, hygiene equipment and mattresses, and driving trucks now is fraught with danger.
Farmers have been refused access to their land because of the hits and the municipality is struggling to disburse salaries. One of the district’s four hospitals shut down after upholding damage from a strike that impacted its electricity supply and harmed the operations room. In two other hospitals, glass windows were shattered. For now, the city’s hospitals are obtaining more killed than wounded.
