Lebanese Displaced Prepare for Harsh Winter Amid Worsening Ceasefire Prospects
As winter approaches, Lebanon’s displaced population faces severe challenges, grappling with limited shelter, dwindling aid, and fading hopes for peace amid escalating conflicts. Many of these individuals, such as Fady Nasreldeen and his family, continue to endure harsh conditions, with some still sleeping outdoors along Beirut’s Mediterranean coastline. They, along with hundreds of other Lebanese families, sought refuge at this location after their homes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, particularly in the Dahiyeh district, were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
The crisis has pushed Lebanon’s already strained resources to their limits. The caretaker government, operating without a president for two years, has struggled to provide adequate shelter or aid. Although schools have been repurposed as temporary shelters, the spaces are quickly filling up, leaving families to find makeshift housing in abandoned buildings or public spaces like mosques and sidewalks.
Since Israel’s initial bombardment of Dahiyeh on September 28 which also killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, over 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced. The affected population is growing daily, with many feeling both neglected by Lebanese authorities and vulnerable to further evictions from informal settlements, even as the winter season threatens freezing temperatures and heavy rainfall. According to locals, Lebanese authorities have forcibly evicted individuals from some temporary encampments without providing alternative accommodations.
Michael Young, a Lebanon expert at the Carnegie Middle East Center, remains skeptical of a ceasefire materializing anytime soon. Young interprets recent proposals as favoring Israeli military interests, which he believes implies little chance of a mutual peace agreement. Instead, he feels this stance could exacerbate conditions for Lebanon’s displaced population, leaving them to endure yet another prolonged conflict.
Local aid groups, stepping in where the government has been unable to, have organized initiatives to support those in need. Farah al-Ataa, a relief organization, has opened a guest house in the Qarantina neighborhood of Beirut, which currently shelters around 600 people, with plans to accommodate up to 1,000. Despite limited resources, volunteers are providing meals and basic shelter for families who have nowhere else to turn.
Many displaced Lebanese, such as Safah, who was forced to flee Dahiyeh, express a desire to return home despite the hardships. The resilience of the displaced, combined with the determination of volunteer-led efforts, highlights a community striving to survive in the absence of effective governmental support. However, with winter approaching and ceasefire hopes dwindling, the future remains uncertain.
Source: Al Jazeera
