British Lebanese are starting to arrive at Heathrow to escape the escalating conflict, uncertain of when it might be safe for them to return to their homes and lives in Beirut. But back in Lebanon Samer*, who doesn’t have the option to run from his beloved country, is moving from his house in a coastal town to stay in the home of his parents further south.
This puts him closer to the conflict, but he says, ‘That way, no matter what happens we're at least together. And it helps with trying to minimise our bills.’ Samer’s story is one of many. So far, more than a million people have been forced to leave their homes because of the impact of the conflict. Many, especially those living close to the southern border, have found themselves running for their lives.
Lebanon is facing this new escalation in the conflict in the region on top of an already dire situation: the Covid pandemic, political instability, an economic crisis, the massive influx of refugees fleeing Syria and the horrific Beirut blast. These have all contributed to a very challenging set of circumstances for people living in Lebanon, particularly in the past five years.
The country has seen a sharp increase in poverty and humanitarian needs, with access to essential things like food, healthcare, education and employment becoming increasingly limited.
‘What keeps us moving is hope’
‘What keeps us moving is hope that the war will end with minimal losses and damages,’ Samer tells us. ‘Because we’ve already had enough of that. And the hope that life will resume back to normal so that we can rebuild the damaged cities and towns.
‘It will take months to do that, but at least we can secure education for our children and get back things like the primary health care centres that used to provide health services for the local residents at not too much cost. For people to be able to go back to their businesses. Even if it’s just baby steps, at least this is our hope.’
For people in all of the areas affected by this conflict – Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Israel – the attacks have led to loss of lives and homes and forced a massive wave of displacement. Many civilians have been forced to flee with only a few belongings.