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Which Countries Have Pledged Aid to Lebanon as Conflict Worsened?

Photographers document damage in a building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP)
Photographers document damage in a building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP)
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Which Countries Have Pledged Aid to Lebanon as Conflict Worsened?

Photographers document damage in a building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP)
Photographers document damage in a building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP)

Israeli attacks on the Hezbollah group in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people and wounded 6,000 in the past two weeks, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Around a million people have fled their homes seeking safety in other parts of Lebanon or in neighboring Syria, sheltering mostly in schools with few supplies.

Below are some of the countries that have pledged or provided humanitarian aid to Lebanon as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict worsened in the last few days.

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia has announced aid for the Lebanese population including medical assistance, state news agency SPA reported.

"The Kingdom has reiterated its commitment to standing by the Lebanese people as they face the challenges arising from the current circumstances, stressing the importance of addressing the humanitarian repercussions," SPA added.

EGYPT

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday he had ordered the immediate dispatch of emergency medical and humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

During a phone call with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Sisi reiterated Egypt's continued support for Lebanon on all levels.

JORDAN

The Jordanian armed forces sent a cargo plane on Sunday carrying humanitarian aid for the Lebanese army to assist in addressing the difficult conditions the country is experiencing.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged to provide Lebanon with an urgent relief aid package worth $100 million on Monday, the state news agency reported.

The initiative was part of the country's continuing efforts to support Lebanon through its current challenges, "underscoring the nation's unwavering commitment to assisting the Lebanese people," it said.

EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union announced 10 million euros ($11.2 million) in humanitarian aid on Sunday to help people in Lebanon affected by the escalating hostilities.

The funding is intended to help provide protection, food assistance, shelter and healthcare, the European Commission said in a statement.

CANADA

Canada is contributing $10 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Lebanon, International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said in a statement on Saturday.

FRANCE

Visiting Lebanon on Sunday to oversee a delivery of humanitarian aid, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said it contained 12 tons of medical equipment to be used to treat 1,000 seriously injured people.

"We will always stand by the civilians", Barrot added.

TÜRKIYE

A Turkish aircraft arrived in Lebanon last Wednesday carrying medical aid and supplies to support the Lebanese health sector, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

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'Anxious’ Lebanese Sleep on the Streets as Israel Strikes Beirut

Families sit on the ground in Martyrs' square after fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Families sit on the ground in Martyrs' square after fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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'Anxious’ Lebanese Sleep on the Streets as Israel Strikes Beirut

Families sit on the ground in Martyrs' square after fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Families sit on the ground in Martyrs' square after fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Thousands of residents in Beirut's densely-packed southern suburbs camped out overnight in streets, public squares and makeshift shelters after Israel ordered them out before its jets attacked the Hezbollah stronghold, Agence France Presse reported.

"I expected the war to expand, but I thought it would be limited to (military) targets, not civilians, homes, and children," said south Beirut resident Rihab Naseef, 56, who spent the night in a church yard.

AFP photographers saw families spend the night in the open, scenes unheard of in Lebanon's capital since the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel last went to war in 2006.

"I didn't even pack any clothes, I never thought we would leave like this and suddenly find ourselves on the streets," Naseef said.

Israeli jets pounded Beirut's south and its outskirts throughout the night, and Beirut woke up to the aftermath of a night at war, smoke billowing from blazes in several places.

- 'What will happen?' -

"I'm anxious and afraid of what may happen. I left my home without knowing where I'm going, what will happen to me, and whether I will return," Naseef said.

Despite a night of intense strikes, the extent of the devastation and the casualty toll was still unclear early Saturday.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television broadcast footage from southern Beirut that showed flattened buildings, streets filled with rubble and clouds of smoke and dust above the area known as Dahiyeh.

Israel on Friday said it attacked Hezbollah's south Beirut headquarters and weapons facilities.

Martyrs' Square, Beirut's main public space, was filled with exhausted and worried families camping out in the open.

"The bombing intensified at night and our house started shaking," said an angry Hala Ezzedine, 55, who slept in the square after fleeing the Burj al-Barajneh neighborhood in Dahiyeh where strikes took place.

- 'Children's screams' -

"What did the (Lebanese) people do to deserve this?" she asked, adding that her home had been destroyed by Israeli strikes during the 2006 war.

"They want to wage war but what wrong did we do?" she said after nearly a year of cross-border violence between Israel and Hezbollah which says it is acting in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza.

"We don't have to go through what happened in Gaza," Ezzedine said of Israel's campaign against the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

When Ezzedine began to criticize Hezbollah's actions, her husband quickly interrupted.

"We are patient, but we shouldn't be the only ones to pay this price," he said.

Hawra al-Husseini, 21, described a "very difficult night" after fleeing Dahiyeh to sleep in Martyrs' Square with her family.

"Missiles rained down over our home. I will never forget the children's screams," she told AFP.

"We're going back home (in the southern suburbs), but we're scared," she added.

"It's impossible to live in this country any more."