12 Oct 2024

The Humanitarian toll in Lebanon

From Saturday Morning, 7:20 am on 12 October 2024
Tess Ingram, UNICEF Communication Specialist.
More than 500 children are taking shelter in one of the public schools in Beirut. Today they were having sports’ activities to provide them with psychosocial support during these difficult times. Before the activities started, children didn’t want to approach the coaches but after few minutes, they started gathering in the middle of the playground and calling their friends to join.
Photo taken on Thursday, 03 October 2024, in a shelter in Beirut.
Photo credit: Fouad Choufany

Tess Ingram, UNICEF Communication Specialist. Photo: Fouad Choufany

The conflict in the Middle East really started ramping up on October 7th last year when Hamas launched a stunning attack on Israel killing 1,200 people and Israel unleashed its military might on Gaza.

This week thousands of people around the world marked the one year anniversary of that fateful day.

But since then, Gaza's Ministry of Health says more than 42,000 palestinians have been killed in Israel's bombardment.

The violence has spilled into Lebanon where Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive have led to more than 2000 killed according to local officials.

With casualties mounting in several hotspots now over over a million people in Lebanon alone have been forced from their homes.

Perlina spoke to UNICEF spokesperson and humanitarian worker Tess Ingram in Beirut and began by asking her about the latest strikes in Lebanon, one of which was in central Beirut which killed 22 people.

 

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