Lebanese Return to Beirut’s Southern Suburbs with Bags Packed for Quick Exit

A resident films his home in a building hit by airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs (AP)
A resident films his home in a building hit by airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs (AP)
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Lebanese Return to Beirut’s Southern Suburbs with Bags Packed for Quick Exit

A resident films his home in a building hit by airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs (AP)
A resident films his home in a building hit by airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs (AP)

Nour Hammoud and her family live in constant fear as Israel issues warnings to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, after deciding to return to their home in Ghobeiry, an area frequently hit by Israeli airstrikes.

“We’d rather die in our home than suffer humiliation outside of it,” says the young woman in her twenties.

She describes the difficult decision faced by her family and others who, despite the risks, have returned to their homes.

Many, including her family, rely on the alerts from Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on X (formerly Twitter), where targeted buildings are announced shortly before they are attacked. Families often leave after each warning, only to return when it is safe.

For some, the return is driven by financial hardship, as they can’t afford rent or find safer places.

For the Hammouds, however, the decision was prompted by increasing harassment, especially toward her younger brothers, in the area they had fled to in Mount Lebanon.

“Security checks were becoming more intense, with authorities scrutinizing my brothers’ identities whenever they left or entered,” she explained.

This increased pressure follows attacks on Hezbollah-linked individuals in areas outside the southern suburbs, previously considered safe. This has caused fear and hostility in host communities, impacting displaced families.

After a month in a rented house in Mount Lebanon, the Hammoud family returned to the southern suburb, which has been calm in recent days despite being bombed five days earlier.

Speaking by phone amid the sound of Israeli drones overhead, Hammoud said: “We came back ten days ago, cleaned our house, bought what we could from the market to avoid going out too much, and packed small bags with essentials. We wait for the warnings to leave again.”

The beach has become their refuge.

“After each warning, we go to the beach, wait for the bombing to stop, then return to our home, hoping it’s still standing,” she added.

Asked about living in constant fear in a neighborhood almost destroyed by repeated strikes, Hammoud replied: “We’re not afraid. It’s better to die in our homes than to live in shame. Whatever is meant for us will happen... We either win, which we believe in, or we become martyrs.”

As the war continues, estimates from Mohammad Shamseddine at Information International suggest that 240 buildings have been destroyed in the southern suburbs, with 360 more partially damaged, affecting around 12,000 housing units in neighborhoods like Haret Hreik, Lailaki, Jamous, and Ghobeiry.

While the Hammoud family can afford rent, many others are unable to find safe places to stay.

Um Mohammad, another displaced woman, says she and her family were asked to leave a school in Beirut where they had taken refuge. With schools reopening, they were told to vacate by Thursday.

Although the private school director in Ain el-Remmaneh who hosted them did all he could to help, Um Mohammad told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The decision has been made, and we have to leave.”

“Our problem is that we have nowhere else to go. If the situation doesn’t improve, my sick husband, son, and I will return to Chiyah in the southern suburbs, just like many other families,” she added.



70 NGOs Demand UN Measures to Protect Civilians in Sudan

A war-torn neighborhood of Omdurman seem on November 2 (AFP)
A war-torn neighborhood of Omdurman seem on November 2 (AFP)
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70 NGOs Demand UN Measures to Protect Civilians in Sudan

A war-torn neighborhood of Omdurman seem on November 2 (AFP)
A war-torn neighborhood of Omdurman seem on November 2 (AFP)

A wave of violence and armed attacks by the Rapid Support Forces on over 30 villages and towns in parts of Al-Jazira State since on 20 October, have led to the displacement of more than 135,000 people (27,000 families) to various locations in Sudan, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The report came as ten civilians were killed Tuesday in the central Sudanese state of Al-Jazira, in an attack blamed on the RSF, according to the Madani Resistance Committee, one of hundreds of volunteer groups coordinating aid across the country.

On Tuesday, the Sudan INGO Forum, a group of 70 international NGOs working in Sudan, said the escalation of hostilities in Al-Jazira was marked by some of the most extreme violence in the past 18 months.

The Forum urged the international community to act on the UN Secretary-General’s call for decisive action to protect civilians and ensure safe and unfettered aid delivery across Sudan.

Injured children and sexual violence

OCHA said INGO received reports of missing, unaccompanied or separated children among displaced people, children with multiple gunshot injuries and arbitrary arrests and detention of children in parts of Al-Jazira.

In addition, alarming reports of sexual violence against young girls and adolescents continue to be reported, with some yet to be verified cases of women and girls subjected to sexual assault and violence committing suicide.

“Insecurity and lack of sustained communication channels is impacting the ability of humanitarian organizations to collect information and data on the situation in parts of Al-Jazira that have been subjected to violence and attacks,” the OCHA report said.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) reported in its Flash Alert on Al-Jazira State that thousands of people have arrived in 16 localities in Gedaref, Kassala and River Nile states.

DTM field teams reported that some affected people cannot relocate to safe areas due to movement restrictions.

They said the displaced people may continue to relocate depending on the capacity of shelter sites, the establishment of new gathering sites or reception centers, and the availability of humanitarian assistance.

In Gedaref, IOM said humanitarian partners report that more than 50% of the new arrivals are women and children. It added that many individuals were moving on foot, and the majority of the IDPs were reportedly women and children.

The report also mentioned that some areas are not accessible for humanitarians, making it challenging to deliver essential services and support to the displaced people.

Difficulty to Shelter IDPs

OCHA said its humanitarian partners face challenges in tracking some of the displaced population due to high mobility and the wide geographical areas.

This is complicating efforts to map and deliver assistance effectively, leading to potential duplication of efforts and gaps, the agency noted.

According to the Gedaref Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the displaced people need immediate food among other assistance, with many of them relying on the host communities to meet their basic needs.

Also, IDPs arrive in dire health conditions due to long distances travelled (up to seven days on foot) and limited or lack of access to humanitarian assistance on the way.

OCHA also showed that the majority of IDPs fled abruptly, leaving behind personal belongings and assets. As a result, over 70-95% of them have lost their identification documents. Displaced people need medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and mental health condition, it said.

Meanwhile, the agency said that humanitarian partners in Kassala and Gedaref are scaling up response and mobilizing resources to meet the immediate needs of the newly arrived displaced people from Al-Jazira.