Israel’s deadly attack on Lebanon has killed more than 500 people, injured nearly 2,000 others and caused thousands more to flee.
Qatar Charity (QC) has begun distributing relief aid in southern Lebanon, becoming one of the first Arab and international humanitarian organisations to move to help the displaced Lebanese in light of the escalating Israeli crisis on their country.
The organisation’s field teams distributed urgent humanitarian aid to internally displaced people in the country, including food baskets, shelter materials, personal hygiene kits, and clean drinking water.
On Monday, Israel’s aggressive bombardment has killed at least 569 people, including 50 children.
More than 1,800 people were also injured in the attacks. Tens of thousands of families were forced to flee southern Lebanon, seeking shelter in schools and homes in different towns that were provided as temporary safe spaces by local citizens.
The aftermath marked Lebanon’s deadliest day since the 1975-1990 civil war.
‘Our brothers and sisters are being killed’: Lebanese expats in Qatar horrified by Israeli attacks
Israeli air strikes have also targeted roads used by people to flee from the south to the north of Lebanon.
The main highway out of the southern city of Sidon to Beirut saw complete standstill traffic in what is said to be the biggest Lebanese exodus since the 2006 Lebanon-Israel war.
While many sought refuge in Beirut, Israeli attacks south of the capital increased significantly on Tuesday.
Qatar’s foreign ministry released a statement on Monday, condemning Israel’s aggression on Lebanon, and warning against the expansion of regional violence.
The following day, the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani took to the podium during the 79th session of the General Assembly and also denounced the Israeli attacks.
“Apart from committing a major crime by rigging wireless communication devices and exploding them simultaneously across thousands of people with total disregard for their identity or location, Israel is currently waging a war on Lebanon,” the Qatari leader said.
The pager and communication device attacks last week killed 37 people and injured hundreds of other people.
Hezbollah-Israel crossfire continues
The escalating violence showed no signs of abating on Wednesday. Following an Israeli air strike on an apartment block in Beirut that killed six people, including senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Qubaisi, the Lebanese group responded by launching a long-range missile at the Mossad headquarters just outside Tel Aviv – marking their farthest strike to date.
Israel claimed it struck around 1,600 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon including senior Hezbollah official Ali Karaki. Hezbollah has denied Karaki’s death.
According to Al Jazeera, Israel has attacked Hezbollah four times more than the Lebanese group since the beginning of the cross-border hostilities on October 8 last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hezbollah of storing rockets in the homes of civilians in Lebanon in order to justify his government’s attacks on Lebanon.
“Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s recent assault in Lebanon has been reported to be one of the largest campaigns in its history, with 250 fighter jets dropping 2,000 munitions.
