UNHCR urges to step up support to Lebanon in view of cost of conflict

The high representative traveled to the Middle Eastern nation to promote collaborative efforts two weeks after Tel Aviv intensified its campaign.

From Lebanese territory, Grandi called for a cease-fire and said hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless in recent days.

‘Today I have witnessed the tragic toll this war is taking on entire communities,’ the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) lamented.

International humanitarian law must be respected and cannot be ignored, he added, as he warned of the thousands of families remaining in the open, including children.

They have all told me they are desperate for safety and for the air strikes to stop so they can return to their towns and villages, he insisted.

The conflict is disrupting urgently needed supply shipments, the Agency added, calling for the preservation of supply routes in and into Lebanon so that the flow of relief items can continue.

Civilians should not pay the price for the abysmal failure to find political solutions and end this vicious cycle of violence.

Now, at this time of overwhelming need, the world must come to Lebanon’s aid,’ he said.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 1,000 people have died in the country and nearly 10,000 were injured since October 2023.