Since the beginning of the escalation of violence between Hamas and Israel, southern Lebanon has been prey to growing tensions, which have led to the evacuation of almost 60,000 people. This is the case of 87-year-old Moustafa Al Sweid from the village of Dhayra, on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Find a safe haven
Moustafa and his wife lived with their son's family in Dhayra, on the border with Israel. They were forced to leave their village when bombing raids destroyed their home. His son worked in the fields. They lived very modestly. Now they have no income and no roof over their heads.
Initially, the whole family moved to the village of Saadiyat, near Beirut, where another one of Moustafa's sons lives. However his house wasn't big enough, and he couldn't afford to support the whole family. Moustafa, his son and his daughter-in-law found refuge in a school in Tyre, which had been set up as a camp for displaced persons, while his wife, who is disabled because of a broken hip, remained in Saadiyat.
Restoring Moustafa's independence
The small family now lives in a classroom, in rudimentary conditions. The school toilets are some distance away, which is a little too far for Moustafa, who needs his son to get there.
HI has provided Moustafa with a toilet chair, making his life much easier and making him more independent. His wife has been taken in charge by an HI rehabilitation team in Beirut, which provides care adapted to her hip problem.
Moustafa's case highlights the vulnerability of the elderly in crisis situations. The help provided by organizations like HI plays a crucial role in reducing their difficulties.
HI action in south of Lebanon
In response to the emergency in the region, HI is assisting the displaced population:
- Providing mobility aids (crutches, wheelchairs, etc.) for distribution by our partners;
- Training Lebanese civil security volunteers to take into account the needs of people with disabilities in the evacuation and management of displaced persons;
- Training organisations helping displaced persons in the provision of psychological support;
- Training physical therapists in emergency rehabilitation in partnership with the Lebanese Order of Physiotherapists and the International Committee of the Red Cross;
- Running risk education and conflict preparedness sessions explosive remnants risk education and conflict preparedness sessions.
HI would like to thank the Start Network and the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs for supporting HI's activities in southern Lebanon.
Call for ceasefire
HI calls on all parties to the conflict to stop using explosive weapons in densely populated areas such as Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. HI also supports #CeasefireNow, an open call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Israel to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and further loss of innocent life, and to ensure that humanitarian aid can be delivered quickly and safely.
